Immersion
by katmom
Summary: Immersion: interest in something that occupies all the time & energy available. Bella, the new girl/vamp at Forks HS, smells something wonderful. Edward, a sweet geek, smells something great too. What if vampires imprinted/mated according to scent? AU
1. Chapter 1

Hey, and welcome to **IMMERSION**! This story is *only* five chapters (had to ADD one, so it's SIX chapters), plus one epilogue and won't contain 843 **extra** epilogues, like **GUARDING EDWARD** does. There are a couple of side-shots completed by guest authors...and maybe a couple more to come in 2010...

Before you start reading I'd like to point out that MOST, if not ALL of the people reading TWILIGHT FAN FICTION already know the basics of StephEnie Meyer's vampire mythology. So, I'm not going to go into detail about that here. YOU all know the details already.

I will answer a couple of question right off the bat though:

Yes, they are living in Forks. Edward has lived there his whole life. The Cullens have just been there as a family, this time, for a week or so.

Yes, Bella can read all minds, even Edward's. As Sare Liz said in her wonderful THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL, that would really make things so much easier on both parties. I'm not into writing a lot of angst, so that works for me.

Edward is *just* incredibly smart…and HOT…he has no gifts…yet!

I've mixed imprinting into this story. I've read a couple of stories recently along that theme: LJ Summers' THE HARDEST PART and THE IMPERATIVE and ELEMENTAL by TallulahBelle. Those stories made me want to write one of my own. In SM's saga, finding one's soul mate was a lot like imprinting. Once the decision was made, that was it. Well, until he walked away, and we all know how that worked out, or not, as the case may be. My premise is that vampire imprinting is based on their sense of smell. We know how strong that sense is in SM's vampires and I've taken it just a step or two farther here.

While these characters are *mostly* in canon, with a few tweaks here and there, their back stories are not.

**Writing lemons kills me, especially when others do it so much better…but there will be LIMES here…hence the rating. If you'd be embarrassed if your mom, dad, sister, brother, aunt, priest, minister or a small child caught you reading this, then you probably shouldn't be reading…close it down now!**

We also know that StephEnie Meyer owns these characters…I just like playing with them a bit, well, a LOT. SHE'S the one making money off of them…me, not at all.

I'll update IMMERSION about once a week…and, like I said previously…it's all done, no waiting for me to continue typing.

I will be writing Esme's POV for GUARDING EDWARD'S never-ending epilogues this week. And I'm about a third of the way through DRAGON STONES' third chapter. Not to worry, they are a little neglected but not abandoned. Make sure that you've listed me as an AUTHOR ALERT and you'll be able to see when they do update.

Thanks for reading and please hit that review button when you get to the end of each chapter…I'd love to hear what you think about this story…

* * *

…**Immersion…**

…**Chapter One…**

…**Edward…**

What was that? Since my arrival at school this morning, initially as I walked to my locker and then to my first class, I kept getting a whiff of something wafting through the hallways, some scent that would almost drop me to my knees it was so good. Better than warm chocolate chip cookies, better than a newly opened rosebud, better than the air after a spring rain. Gah...I sounded like a freaking poet.

But the scent was, in fact, exquisite. My mouth would even water! It touched something deep in the core of my soul, pulling me towards something. I felt an immense amount of anticipation. Something was going to happen, but I had no idea what that something was. I had never felt like this before and I found it a little freaky. But then I'd get just a hint of that scent again and I'd find myself trying to pinpoint its origin.

I tried to keep it subtle, but I must have looked like an idiot as I sniffed the air around me. In my first class of the day I was caught by Lauren. She probably thought that I was enjoying the hoochie woman perfume she bathed in. I grabbed a tissue from the box on the teacher's desk and blew my nose into it noisily. She glared at me and continued to her desk.

That was much better than when she was hitting on me at the beginning of the school year. I had grown a lot taller over the summer and my job at the feed store had encouraged muscles to grow on my somewhat lean body. When school started a lot of the girls who had never given me more than a passing look had paused, looked me over a second time, and then decided to talk to me. It could have been nice, if any of them had had more than two brain cells to rub together.

I did have some really good friends, Angela, Ben, Gary, Sandi and Andrea. We were all in the debate club. Yes, geeks one and all. But we were already getting attention from some of the better colleges around the country. We had won all of our matches as sophomores and now as juniors we were doing really well. Some of the matches had been against really good teams too.

Ben and Angela are a couple, but we all just hang out together. It's like having brothers and sisters. We ragged on each other, teased each other…and supported one another when times were bad. Like when Jessica and Lauren had decided that Andrea was the "it" girl for tormenting last year. That had been bad. They had targeted her and had started to make her life a living hell. When we realized what was happening, we all stepped up and made them back off. One of us was in every class she had and none of us would stand for it. They finally gave up, much to the relief of all of us. They had left us alone since then.

Well they had left us all alone until the beginning of this year, when they decided that I was the one to pursue. My friends had first thought it was funny, especially the guys. When they discovered me pressed up against the wall with two girls slipping up and down my thighs, their hands underneath my shirt and me trying to push them away with a terrified look on my face, they had stepped in and rescued me.

I hadn't wanted to hurt the girls, and to begin with I had been shocked when Jessica and Lauren had basically attacked me. But if my friends hadn't found me, I think I would have actually punched them both. A shudder slipped down my spine when I thought back to it. Great, my first almost sexual experience had been in the hallway after school was over, with two of the easiest girls in school. Yes, it could have been fun, if that's what I had wanted. Gah…even thinking about it made me want to go home and shower.

Yeah, _if that's what I had wanted I guess it could have been fun_. It made me sound old fashioned or something, but I really wanted my romantic life to be that…romantic. Not just a quick grope and tussle with someone who meant nothing to me. It's not like I watched chick flicks or read romance novels, but I had seen the way my parents were together. Ben and Angela too, they loved each other. They got each other's nuances. They laughed and cried together. We had threatened to dump cold water on them occasionally because they had passion too. A lot of passion…

That scent from earlier washed over me again as I entered my second class of the day and I sniffed appreciatively. Where was that coming from? As I walked to my seat in the back row, I noticed a small girl standing by the teacher's desk. She had short spiky black hair on her head and four inch spiky black high heels on her feet. Ah, one of the new kids.

I had heard that there were going to be some new kids in school today. In fact, everyone had been talking about it for weeks now. The new doctor and his wife, and their five adopted kids, had arrived in town a week ago and the gossip had been going nonstop since then. Anything new in our small town got chewed over in the school, the diner and on street corners for ages.

I had heard rumors of how beautiful the family was. I didn't care about that, I just wondered if any of them would be bright enough to join our debate team. Sandi's dad was in the military and they were going to have to move to Washington DC in the next month, before Thanksgiving. We were going to be short a member and there was no one in this school that could even come close to taking her place. Just thinking about breaking up our team, our family, was hard. We were all trying to avoid it.

Mr. Griffen called the class to order and introduced the new student.

"Everyone, this is Alice Cullen." Alice smiled out at the rest of us. It looked like she enjoyed the spotlight as she made eye contact with each of us. When her eyes rested on me, her mouth formed an "O" and she smiled even wider. What the heck? Was I going to have to worry about keeping away from her too?

The teacher continued, "Alice, why don't you tell us a bit about yourself?"

She smiled at him and began, "Hi everyone! We just moved here from Alaska. Yes, it was cold and snowy. No, I'm not an Eskimo. Yes, it barely gets dark in the summer and barely gets light in the winter. No, it didn't disrupt my sleeping habits." And with that she moved to the chair that the teacher directed her to, the one next to me.

A different version of that heavenly aroma hit my nose as she sat down. This scent was fluffier, if such a thing could be. It was still nice, but not as nice as the one from earlier. Taking a deep breath and enjoying it anyway, I turned and introduced myself while Mr. Griffen started handing out worksheets to the class.

"Hi, I'm Edward Masen, nice to meet you Alice."

I noticed that her teeth were very white and shiny as she smiled at me in return. "Hi Edward, it's very nice to meet you too." I was concerned when her eyes glazed over for a moment, but then she shook her head and smiled again.

"I think that we are going to be good friends…" She trailed off and turned to look at the teacher when he started to speak.

What? Good friends? Okay, I could always use more good friends. Hopefully since she was in this AP class with me, she did have some brains. I'd just have to wait and see.

When class was over she smiled at me once more and after gathering her things, she practically flew from the room. I could see some disappointment from those that had wanted to talk to the new girl. Ah, the allure of the shiny new toy. Gathering my books, I left the room and headed to my next class, History.

Again one of the new kids was in this class, but this time he wasn't sitting next to me. Mr. Cable didn't make him say anything either. He just said, "Jasper, take that seat over there."

I did feel sorry for him though. He was flanked on either side by Lauren and Jessica. When Lauren reached out and ran her hand down his arm, I thought that he was going to come unglued. The look on his face was intense. I actually felt my own anxiety level spike a bit before a wave of calm flowed out over me. The rest of the class was boring. I couldn't understand how someone could take something as interesting as history and make it a snooze fest.

I saw Jasper gather his things and, just like Alice, he was gone at the first sound of the bell.

My next class didn't have a new kid in it. But everyone was talking about them before it started. Some of them had seen the other three in their classes. Emmett, Rosalie and Bella…

They couldn't get over how gorgeous they were. Even the guys were coming up with words longer than four letters to describe them. That really amazed me. Maybe the new kids would inspire the students to learn something, if only to come up with better words to describe them. Nah, probably not…

Finally it was lunch time and I couldn't wait. That heavenly aroma had wafted by me in the halls a couple more times over the course of the morning. I could finally name a couple of the things that I smelled: strawberries and freesias. And something else that I couldn't even come close to naming. But I sure wanted to immerse myself in it. If it was a perfume, I wanted to buy some. I'd spray it on my pillow at night and just breathe it in. Maybe I could wash my clothes in it. Yes, I've completely lost my mind…

I entered the cafeteria and sniffed deeply. The scent was more intense here. Where was it coming from? Not being able to find it was making me crazy. Tension was rising in me and anticipation too. I felt so twitchy. I tried to shake it off, but couldn't.

Walking through the lunch line with my tray, I decided that the wonderful aroma definitely wasn't from the food. Mystery meat and gravy that looked like glue over fake mashed potatoes. I decided that a limp green salad with some grilled chicken would be the better choice and took an apple for dessert. After paying, I headed towards the table I usually sat at with the team. They were already there and eating. I noticed that one of the tables that usually was empty, was now nearly full. The new kids were all seated there. I recognized Alice and Jasper; she was sitting beside him on the bench seat, nearly in his lap. Well, that would surely put the hussies that I had heard plotting to catch him off stride. Good!

Three others were seated with their backs to me. A huge guy was in the middle with a very curvy blonde tucked close to his right side. On his left I could see a slender girl with long, dark brown hair. The way the first two were sitting made it clear that they were together too. I bet the girls in the school were going nuts. Two new guys and they were already taken. Ha!

Now some of the gossip I heard this morning made sense. Several people had commented on the fact that they were siblings, yet together. But I was sure that I had heard that they were all adopted. Maybe they had said that Jasper and the blonde were twins? Shrugging to myself, I decided it didn't matter. I nodded at my friends and sat down to eat.

Sandi swallowed her bite of apple, no mystery meat for her either, and said, "Well, we might have a replacement for me."

Of course everyone immediately jumped in and said that she could never be replaced. "I know," she said with a cocky smile. "But I spoke with one of the new kids. Alice. She said that she couldn't join the team, but she thought that her sister, Bella, would enjoy it. Apparently she was on a debate team in Alaska. She's the one at their table with the long brown hair." When Sandi had said Bella's name I noticed that the girl to the big guy's left straightened up, not that she had been slouching before, but suddenly her back was even straighter. I couldn't see her face, but I could see Alice and she was grinning, those white teeth showing even more.

Sandi continued, "Edward, Bella's going to be in your biology class next period. You can talk to her then and see if she's the right sort for our team."

We all laughed just a little. _The_ _right sort, you mean someone with brains_? I know we were all thinking the same thing. It was a running joke amongst us.

"Sure, I'll chat her up in class." As I said the words, the girl, Bella, turned and looked at me over her shoulder, a look of extreme anger on her face. Could she have heard us? Their table was against the windows and two over from us. I didn't think I said anything that should have made her angry. I had only wondered if she had brains. Before I could smile at her she had turned back around to face her family. Alice was still smiling and Jasper was too.

I shook it off and ate my uninspiring salad. The subject of the new kids and whether Bella would be a good fit for the team was dropped as everyone started talking about Halloween. It was juvenile, but the student body still got to dress up for the day. The faculty let it be known that skin would be covered. Yes, the girls could wear French maid costumes, but they had better fit in with the school dress policy. And sex kittens? Well, they had better have enough clothes on too. Jessica had been sent home last year…the principal telling her that just because the amount of faux fur she was wearing would fit on a real kitten, it wasn't enough to appease the dress code.

We really had enjoyed the spectacle of seeing her mother escort her from the premises. When Gary brought it up just now, I thought I heard chuckles come from the Cullens' table. Surely not…

"So, are we all dressing the same again this year?" Angela asked when she could pull her lips from Ben's for a moment. Please, they should just get a room.

"I don't know," said Andrea. "Maybe we should change things around this time. Instead of all dressing like doctors (last year's costume), or lawyers (the year before), maybe this time we could go as cave men and women. You know, meet the median IQ level around here." The silence at our table was deep and shocked for a long moment.

Before any of us could even say anything, a commotion began at the Cullen table. It appeared that Bella was choking, as Emmett pounded her on the back. The rest of her family was laughing at her. That didn't seem very nice to me. Before I could even think beyond, _I wonder if she needs help_, I heard her voice for the first time.

"Stop it, Emmett, I'm fine," I heard her choke out as she knocked his hand aside.

I focused my attention back at our table. We had all dressed the same for Halloween for years, but this idea of Andrea's was just so out there. But maybe it would be fun…and funny. We weren't just geeks. Well, maybe we were, but we all had a sense of humor too.

"Well, if we go the caveman route, we need to make sure that we have enough clothes on so that we don't get escorted off the school property." Ben tucked Angela closer to his side. "I don't want Newton leering at my Angie." She gave him a syrupy sweet look and another kiss on his lips.

Damn, they were so cute.

"We still have a couple of weeks to decide." Sandi spoke up. "I'm glad that I get a last Halloween with you all before we have to move." Her words stopped the laughter that we had all been sharing.

"Okay, Masen, talk to Bella. See if she's willing to give the team a chance. Well, after you check her out and see if she's got the stuff to even be on the team." Everyone was gathering their lunch debris up as Sandi spoke and I saw Bella sneak another look over at us. At least she didn't look mad anymore.

"I'll do that, Fearless Leader." I snapped off a salute to Sandi as I left the table and dropped my trash into a can on my way out of the room. Gathering my books for the afternoon from my locker I made my way to the science lab. It was Monday and we were going to get to dissect worms today. It wouldn't be new to me as my dad had gotten the team a science kit three summers ago and we had spent a wonderful two weeks dissecting worms, frogs and then a pig. We had all learned a lot and had a blast doing it. At least it wouldn't be a lame lecture or some boring movie.

Mr. Banner had already set up the experiment and the tables were covered with the items we'd need for the lab when I arrived. I moved to my seat at the back of the room. I always sat in the back. The teachers had all figured out that I wasn't a student that they had to keep their eyes on, so sat me away from them, leaving room for the trouble makers at the front. Mike Newton was always in the front. That little fact of life always made me laugh.

I wondered which seat Mr. Banner would put Bella in. My lab partner had dropped the course last week. Erik Yorkie hadn't realized that he'd have to dissect things and when Mr. Banner announced it last Thursday, he had nearly fainted…and then dropped the class. There were a couple of other seats empty as this class wasn't that full. So no telling where she would sit.

Getting out my pen and journal for the class I was suddenly assailed by that aroma again. My heart clenched and I took in a deep breath. It was intoxicating. I could only imagine that this is what an addict felt when he took a hit of pot, or acid…or heroin. It was everything. I drew in another, deeper, breath. Heaven filled my lungs as my eyes closed in ecstasy. I gripped the table, trying to tether myself to something.

I heard a soft gasp come from beside me and opened my eyes. Golden eyes looked deeply into my own. As I sucked another breath in, I realized that she was the source of this fragrance that filled my soul with longing.

We spoke at the same time, "It's you!"

* * *

A/N.....those who leave reviews get a teaser for the next chapter....

Not bribery...just something I thought you'd like to know.

Thanks for reading!

Kathie


	2. Chapter 2

…**Chapter Two…**

…**Bella…**

Taking a deep, unneeded breath, I straightened up from the Jeep and slung my book bag over my shoulder. I could do this. It was only my fourth trip through high school after all, unlike my siblings who were going through for the umpteenth time. This time I was getting to start as a Junior with Alice, which meant that I'd only have to suffer through two years of high school before moving on to college. Surely that wouldn't be so bad?

_Come on sis, let's go. We need to pick up our schedules and find our classes,_ Rosalie said as she wrapped her arm around Emmett's waist, her voice a whisper in my mind. They were walking towards the office. Alice and Jasper were sharing one last kiss by the Jeep's door and then they, too, started for the school.

I trailed behind them. Once again alone, and left behind. I sighed and sped up just a little. Jasper held the door to the office for me and I felt a gentle flow of calmness pass into me. Giving him a smile I stepped into the room and moved to stand next to Alice as we waited for the secretary to notice us. It didn't take long and I could hear her mental voice exclaim over the five of us before her. I tried not to roll my eyes when I heard her thoughts as they rested on my brothers. Ugh…how old was this woman? And she was thinking things like that about them? I had to hold back from making a gagging noise.

Alice gave me a sympathetic look and wrapped her arm around Jasper's waist, marking her territory. Rosalie did the same with Emmett. Noticing that, the woman, Mrs. Cope, had the grace to try and restrain her thoughts. I did get quite the mantra of _too young too young too young_ from her as we left the office and made our way to our lockers. We had arrived early and there weren't that many students around yet. It only took one glance at the map and our schedules and we had them memorized. We all had a couple of classes together, that would make the day go by somewhat faster.

At an intersection of hallways, Emmett, always the clown and chief cheerleader, held his fist out. We all placed our hands on top of his and at his jovial "Break!" we laughed and headed towards our lockers. We planned to meet up in the cafeteria for lunch.

I found my locker first and the others moved off to find theirs. By the time I got to my homeroom the hallways were becoming jammed with students. Each and every one of them had to take a good hard look at my face. Once again I had to work to control my eyes to keep them from rolling at the thoughts that I heard. Just once couldn't high school students come up with something new? High school was a cesspool of lust, minor intrigue, hurt feelings, power plays and just a touch of learning.

Two years, just two years and then I could go to college again. I enjoyed my time at places of higher learning very much. The give and take of educated minds that chose to be there, learning from the professors and soaking up knowledge.

Just before I reached my class my attention was caught by a scent. I stopped in my tracks. The boy walking behind me crashed into me and I had to pretend to stumble forward while mumbling an apology to him for stopping in front of him.

What was that aroma? It was a little spicy and just a touch sweet as it touched the back of my throat and I felt a rumble begin in my chest. I took a deeper breath in to try and pinpoint it…exquisite.

While I was trying to sort it out the boy that bumped me was trying to talk to me. He had decided that I had stopped on purpose to make his acquaintance! He couldn't be more wrong. The thoughts in his head started out mild; he thought this was a great way to meet one of the _new kids_. He thought that all of his friends would be jealous that he got to meet me first. He was first, right? He just knew that I was going to fall for him. HE was on the baseball, football and basketball teams. Surely I was almost worthy of being around him. These thoughts rushed through his mind in the space of time that I was searching for the source of that heavenly scent.

I nearly choked over his thoughts. I needed to nip this in the bud, that's for sure.

"Hi, I'm Mike Newton, your guide to all that is Forks High School. Can I help you find your class? Can I carry your books? Can I take you to the moon and the stars?" He thought he was being suave and debonair and all I wanted to do was laugh in his face. I had to play my part though.

"Thank you, but no…this is my classroom and I've never wanted to become an astronaut so I won't be needing a tour of space." I sidestepped the arm that he attempted to throw over my shoulders and slipped into the room. Thankfully the teacher was already inside and I took my admittance slip up to her desk and handed it to her. She signed it, handed me a math book, and sent me to a desk about a third of the way back and off to the side. Mike didn't make an appearance and I was grateful that he didn't share the class with me. As the teacher handed out worksheets I took the time to try and analyze the scent that had caught me off guard. I couldn't recall ever having smelled anything that wonderful before.

Once the class was over a couple of the boys tried to talk to me. Their thoughts were all about scoring with the new kid. I assured them that I could find my next class on my own and thanked them as I quickly moved out the door and towards my next class. That scent wafted over me again in the hallway, but there was a mass of teenage bodies around me and I couldn't pinpoint it. Although I did decipher that two of the facets that made it up were something like that men's cologne, _Old Spice_…and leather. I loved the smell of leather. There was a third element that I couldn't quite identify in the small whiffs that I could catch. It was a subtle musk and stirred something in my soul. It made me feel a little anxious, like something was about to happen, something good…

Alice passed me in the hallway when it was time for third hour. She smiled widely at me but her mind was busy with Gregorian chants…in Japanese? I didn't even know she could do that. When I looked a question at her, she just blew me a kiss and mouthed, _later_.

The effect of her blowing the kiss to me set the small minds around me on fire. I just laughed to myself. At least the kiss would change the rumors up a bit. They were always the same: We were SIBLINGS, and several of us were INVOLVED. Boring! At least those that had seen Alice and Jasper together were now linking the three of us. Well, at least it was different.

Damn, that scent blew over me again, immediately catching my attention.

As I tried to get a deeper breath of the enticing aroma, the freshman boy I was standing next to thought I was sniffing--and appreciating--his Axe cologne. Ugh, what was with these boys and drenching themselves in noxious concoctions? Didn't they know that their own personal scent was much more appealing?

I quickly sniffed, trying to get a reading on his scent. Once I did, I realized that the girl that was glaring at me from down the hall was his complete opposite in aroma. Her mental blasting of me assured me that she had already realized that he was the one for her. She must have based that on his scent _before_ he doused himself in that hideous spray.

I quickly turned my sniff into a huge sneeze, right onto his shoulder. I was careful to keep the venom in my mouth, and didn't actually spatter anything onto him. But he thought that I had and that cured his crush on me immediately. I apologized profusely and pretended to wipe his shirt off with my hand. I had to control the laughter that wanted to bubble up out of me as he backpedaled away from me as fast as his skinny legs would carry him. The girl from down the hallway came to his aid, wiping his shirt down with a tissue and glaring at me over her shoulder. Wow, she really felt strongly about him. Good for her…I certainly didn't want him.

Yes, sometimes it was easier just to make a bad impression. I should have used that tactic on Mike. He had smiled widely at me each time he passed me in the halls. He kept doing that stupid thing where he held his hand to his ear and would mouth _call me_. Yes, I was going to sneeze on him just as soon as I could.

I was grateful when lunch time finally rolled around and I could sit with all of my family around me for a brief respite from the mental pounding I was getting from all of the teens in the surrounding area. My gift was more like a curse when there were all of these unrestrained minds near me. I was becoming more adept at keeping my awareness out of minds, but it took a lot of effort on my part. It was much easier to sink into the minds of my family. They were known and I could just bask in their public minds. They actually tried to keep it quiet in there for me.

We all had prop food before us. I hadn't been able to face the gray meat that was offered, so just took an apple and a soda. Emmett had been the only one to take the hot meal. He was wondering exactly what kind of animal it had come from. He looked at it like it was a science experiment. Rosalie whispered that if he even thought about tasting it, she would not be kissing him for a week.

Alice caught my attention and began smiling at me…_Listen, there…three tables over…your name…_

She was right. I heard a voice say my name, both out loud and in her mind. I focused on the conversation behind me. They were going on about the debate team…and Alice had nearly promised that I would join!

I straightened my back as I whipped my attention back to her and she just smiled at me. "What? Are you crazy? We're supposed to blend in to the background, not join in extracurricular activities!" My voice was quiet and intense as I snarled at the grinning munchkin across from me.

"This will be perfect. You will blend in, like a normal teenager, and they are smart. You might even enjoy yourself." Before I could sink into her mind and really figure out what she was up to, she started back into the Japanese Gregorian Chants. What a brat.

"Just listen to what they have to say. I've spoken with a couple of them and they are nice kids…and, like I said, smart."

Rolling my eyes I sank into the one girl's mind. Her name was Sandi and she was getting ready to move across country. She was worried about the team_--the family--_that she was leaving behind. She told the one boy, he had green eyes and bronze hair, that he could talk to me in his next class. We apparently would be sharing AP Biology together.

Then I nearly growled when they all, everyone at that table, laughed and thought, _The_ _right sort, you mean someone with brains_?

He, Edward Masen, said that he would talk with me and he was laughing as he looked over at our table. It made me mad to think that he…that they…had already judged me and I scowled when I caught his eye on me.

Suddenly his mind was confused. He was wondering what he had done. As he went back over his thoughts, he couldn't find anything. He then hoped that I would be able to measure up, although he didn't think they'd ever find anyone as smart as Sandi, but maybe I'd come close.

I felt ashamed. They hadn't actually been mean to me and I had taken what they said, and thought, wrong. Alice and Jasper were both grinning at me now. I rolled my eyes again. "Okay, I'll think about it…but what will Carlisle think if I join the debate team?"

Jasper spoke up, "I think that he'll be glad that you are blending in. We all know how hard it's been for you. This might be fun." He leaned forward and his voice dropped even lower, which seemed rather silly to me. None of the humans near us could have heard him anyway. "Your control is excellent and you might like having some others to talk to. You know, people closer to your own age."

He grinned at me again. It was the family joke that I was the youngest. I had only been a vampire for 23 years and I had been changed when I was only 18. They liked to lord their ages over me. They were all much older than I.

I shrugged while thinking about the debate team. It might be interesting at least. I'd give it a shot, that is, if Edward Masen decided I was the _right sort_…I sank into the mind of one of the other girls, Angela. I had to get out quickly. She was only partially attending to the conversation about Halloween that was now going on. Her thoughts kept slipping back to her boyfriend and his talented tongue. Ugh…not the place for me to be.

All of my siblings were now listening to the debate team table and when the boy, Gary, brought up the costume that Jessica had worn, or barely worn last year, we all chuckled a bit. I had met her in one of my classes and it seemed to be the kind of thing that she would have done. She had tried to pump me for information about my brothers. I hadn't given her any.

We had seen some very inventive costumes over the course of our lives. Why did teenage girls always want to wear the smallest amount of fabric? When I said that out loud Emmett just looked at me and shook his head. Rosalie leaned over and said, "Emmett is very fond of my French Maid costume…"

Gak! I had to rush to get out of her mind before she could _show_ me how fond of it he was…they all laughed at me while still focusing on the other table.

Andrea, the other girl at the table really stirred the entire group up when she suggested they come dressed as cave men and women, to meet the median IQ of the school. Somehow that just hit me as funny and I started to laugh hard, then I choked when the aroma that I had been searching for all day filled me. I found myself trying to suck as much of it into my lungs as I could. I had to have it. Emmett started whacking me on the back, which didn't help matters at all.

"Stop it, Emmett, I'm fine," I choked out as I knocked his hand aside. Edward Masen had become concerned with my choking fit and had wondered if he should come and help me.

"What is up with you, Bella?" Rose asked as I tried to breathe in more of that scent. I wondered how everyone would take it if I just leaped to my feet and started rushing around sniffing all the people in the room. I would look like a psycho and I'd be placed into a home…I wondered briefly if they would come visit me.

Maybe they could actually help. I quickly told them about the scent that I had been chasing all day long. How it was calling to me like nothing ever had before.

Alice smiled _that_ smile again and tried to divert my attention from the aroma while everyone else looked at me like I was nuts. "They are talking about you again…"

I glanced over my shoulder and briefly caught Edward's eye as they gathered their trash. He was telling Sandi that he'd talk to me in class. Taking a quick peek into his mind, I saw that the Biology class was going to be about dissecting worms. That should be interesting…better than a boring lecture anyway.

Returning to the mystery of the wonderful aroma I asked them if they had noticed anything odd about the smells that filled the school.

"Too much cologne and perfume makes it hard for me to even breathe in this place," Rosalie opined. "Although I did see a few couples that were hanging on each other where their scents were so attuned, it was like they were made for each other."

Jasper, Alice and I had extra gifts in our vampiric natures: empathy, precognition, and my ability to read thoughts. But we all had extremely sensitive senses of smell. And just as I had seen that the freshman who I had pretended to sneeze on was a perfect match to the girl that came to his rescue, we could all see that sort of thing in the humans around us.

Quite often during our trips through high school and college, we'd see couples that were totally wrong for each other, at least based on scent. We were never surprised when they broke up. On the flip side, we'd see couples that were totally right for each other too. And always their scents would be point and counterpoint.

I often thought that we'd make a killing if we opened a matchmaking business. The clients could fill out their applications; we'd sniff them, subtly, then set them up with people that they'd find irresistible.

Each of the mated couples in my family had noticed the scent of their mate before noticing anything else about them. It didn't matter that they wouldn't ever be able to procreate with their mates, which seemed to be the reason humans sought out that opposite scent, but it did lead them to something along the lines of _love at first sight_. It happened suddenly and completely. It was almost like imprinting in the Quileute Tribe that lived near here. They were shape-shifters that Carlisle had made a treaty with over seventy years ago. They imprinted on mates that would ensure strong offspring for the tribe.

In my forty-one years on this earth, I had never come close to smelling anything as good as this spicy, leathery aroma was to me now. The thought crossed my mind that it would be hideous if the smell was attached to some old grizzled janitor at the school. A man that was seventy five years old, with no teeth and an equally grizzled wife at home.

I guess if that were the case I could steal his pillow and keep it close to me just to enjoy the fragrance. Alice was smiling again. _That can't be good_.

They all agreed to keep their noses on the alert for something that I couldn't even describe well. It was nice to know that they were at least thinking about helping me, even though they really didn't know how.

Except for Alice, I knew she was hiding something. Ah, now she was cataloging her shoe collection. How many pairs of black spike heels did she really need? She was up to pair number twenty-nine and there was no end in sight. Apparently I was not to know what she was up to.

Making plans to meet at the Jeep after school, we threw away our uneaten lunches (Emmett had not taken a bite of the mystery meat) and headed out to our next classes.

That aroma just kept teasing me. It was there, just ahead of my senses. Maybe I was going crazy. I didn't think that vampires could go crazy, but maybe I would be the first.

Checking the map in my memory, I walked through the halls to my AP Biology class. I wondered how Edward Masen would check to see if I was the _right sort_ to join the debate team. Did he have a pop quiz for me to fill out?

The teacher, Mr. Banner, signed my admittance slip and directed me to the lab table in the back, the table where Edward Masen was sitting. He told me that since I was new that Edward would be able to help me to get up to speed. That would certainly help him to find out if I was any good, if I had any _brains_…

The first thing I noticed as I got closer to the table was that the aroma was getting stronger. It swirled around me and I sucked it eagerly into my lungs. It was bliss…it evoked thoughts of warm sunny days…it was the remembered taste of chocolate…and it filled me like nothing else had in my entire life.

Dragging in another deep breath I reached Edward where he sat on a high stool at the lab table. That's when I noticed that he was also breathing deeply. He opened his deep green eyes as I touched his mind and was shocked at what I read there.

We spoke at the same time, "It's you!"

* * *

A/N…They are both smelling something wonderful.

Reviews get previews…I'm just saying… ;D

Stephenie Meyer still makes the big bucks for the Twilight Saga...me, none at all...

Thanks for reading!

Kathie


	3. Chapter 3

A/N…I want to take this time to point out that whenever you read "**mating imperative**" in this story, that term was coined by **LJ Summers** in her Wolf Pack stories, which you really should go and read.

**u2shay** also has a lovely story, **THAT GIRL**, that is a fine read too, oh, and HOT!

If you really need to laugh, read **PROGRESS** by **107yearoldvirgin**. Do NOT drink anything while reading, because if you do, you WILL spit liquid on your computer and that wouldn't be good.

I have some good friends who have pre-read this story for me…**LJ, Yuri, Kris, Leanne, Val, Bells, Elise, Tosha, Amber**…they told me that it wasn't mule puke…whew! And when we get to the LIMES in Chapters Four and Five, well, they told me they weren't gross either…but "HAWT"…cool!

Thanks, everyone, who has alerted, favorited and reviewed. Makes it so much fun to open my e-mail.

Okay, I'm done…go ahead and read…and then, please, review!

* * *

…**Chapter Three…**

…**Edward…**

My mind became totally focused on Bella's face as she stood before me. Everything else faded away. Her face, framed with long brown hair, was almost level with mine because I was sitting on the lab stool. She was petite, only about 5'4"; I would have towered over her if I had been standing. This summer's growth spurt had put me well over 6' tall. Instinctively I reached my left hand out to her. She placed her book bag on the table and looked into my eyes and then back down to my outstretched hand.

"Bella, please…" my voice was low and rough with need, a need that was almost primal and unlike anything I had ever felt before. My mind was whirling with the heavenly aroma that was radiating from her and making connections within my body and soul.

"I'm Edward…" I whispered, wanting her to know my name, I wanted her to know me. I wanted to know everything about her…

Bella's eyes fluttered closed and she took another deep breath. Opening her golden eyes she placed her small hand into mine. Her skin was very cool, almost cold, and smooth and filled a need I hadn't even known that I had. She laced her fingers tightly into mine and stepped between my open knees where I sat on the stool and moved close to my body.

As if it was the most natural thing in the world, I pulled her closer and nestled my face into the curve of her neck. Our twined hands rested between us and I slipped my other hand around her waist, pulling her closer still. The relief from a tension that had been a part of my body for my entire life left me and made me glad that I was sitting; otherwise I'm sure I would have fallen. The new lack of tension was the only thing that told me it had even been there. What an odd feeling.

I gasped when she tucked her cool face into the curve of my neck. The relief doubled with the additional skin on skin contact. We both just breathed deeply for a couple of moments, totally ignoring everything that was going on around us.

The strength of her scent, where I breathed it in right at her neck was overwhelming as I immersed myself in it. The sweet aroma swirled through my lungs; healing me where I hadn't even known I was hurting…it was heaven.

The crash of some books falling to the floor at the front of the classroom brought me slightly back to the present. I slowly lifted my face from the comfort of her neck and looked around. The rest of the students hadn't noticed what was going on at our table in the back of the room. They were all excited about the lab equipment set out on the tables. Some of the girls were squealing over the worms in the small containers.

Bella lifted her face from my neck and took a small step away, looking up at me, her eyes shining. "I suppose we should consider where we are, Edward." Her voice was low and melodic and I thought that I could listen to her say my name over and over and never get tired of hearing it. She took another step away, but kept our fingers tightly wound together. Her third step caused my free hand to leave the small of her back and I felt profound loss over that broken connection.

"Let's get through this class and then we can talk. I think that there are some things that we need to discuss." She chuckled quietly and the sound washed over me in a gentle wave. Bella lifted our hands and said with a smile in her voice, "I wonder if we can do this lab with our hands together?"

Her words caused me to smile too. I pulled her stool close to mine and she climbed up, our legs pressing together from hip to knee. Smiling into her eyes I said, "I think we should give it a try."

My mind was trying to focus on so many things. Bella and what was happening between us; the feeling of electricity and need that was running through us both; and getting the lab completed. And I say both of us because I could tell with absolute certainty that she felt it too. When the point came where we did have to free our hands, Bella pressed her leg closer to mine. I wondered if she would think I was a perv if she knew that I was wishing that we were both wearing much less clothing so that the skin of our legs could be touching. A soft chuckle left her lips as she tucked her ankle around my leg after lifting our jeans a little. The result was skin on skin from ankle to calf and another round of relief in my body.

"I didn't say that out loud, did I?" I asked quietly.

Softly her voice whispered through my mind, _No, you didn't. Like I said, we need to talk…let's get this lab done. What class do you have after this?_

By this point I wasn't even surprised that I could hear her in my mind. This whole situation was beyond odd, but still strangely right.

"I have gym next…" I said.

Bella's eyes lit up and she exclaimed, "Me too! I think we should both skip. What do you say?"

I cocked my head at her and just thought..._Sounds good to me._

The smile that lit her face told me that she had heard my words. I had no idea how that was happening, but it made me feel slightly like an X-Man. Bella laughed when that thought crossed my mind. _Yes, Edward, we need to talk…_

Sandi had been right, this girl was smart. We breezed through the lab, taking turns with the scalpel and writing out our answers on the worksheet with our lower legs touching the entire time. We also let our hands linger together when we didn't need to have them free. I ran my fingertips from her wrist to the curve of her elbow, her skin was so smooth, the coolness was incredibly pleasing to me. Having her scent wash over me the entire time was intoxicating. I had never been drunk or high, but this must be what it was like. I just hoped that there was no hangover from it.

Bella smiled at me and shook her head as she laughed gently. _No, no hangovers from this feeling. Are we done yet?_ _I know I sound like some little kid, "Are we there yet?"_

With twenty minutes left in the class we were done and ready to put the equipment away. All the other teams were still working.

"Let's get this stuff cleaned up so that we can leave the second the bell rings," I said quietly as I began gathering up the tools while Bella picked up the microscope and our papers to hand to the teacher.

_I'm afraid to take my ankle away from yours…I think it's going to hurt when we aren't touching._ Her voice sounded distraught in my head.

"Let's do it quickly then we can hold hands when we are done," I whispered. We both took deep breaths and she moved away from me. The shock of pain at the lack of contact took my breath away. _Hurry,_ I said mentally as I almost lunged to the sink to wash the implements. Drying them I rushed to put them away.

My mind and body were screaming that I had to get back to her. Suddenly relief washed over me and I realized that she had finished her tasks and was standing next to me at the equipment cabinet, resting her hand on my bicep. A sigh left me and I heard relief in her mind too.

"Let's sit back down and wait for the class to finish," I said as we walked hand in hand back to our table. The rest of the class was finishing up their work and several of the students were looking at us, their mouths agape. As we passed them, I heard voices begin to speculate on just what was up with us. I sat down on the stool and she came between my legs again and just leaned into me. Again, it felt so natural and right to have her so close. But I wanted her closer still…

The looks that our classmates were giving us didn't deter me in the least. But I'm sure they were thinking about the fact that this was Bella's first day and here we were, holding hands. My guess is that they were all thinking, "She's so hot, and he's such a geek." I decided that it didn't matter if they were talking about us and it mattered even less what they were saying. All that mattered was that we were touching right now. Everything else could be sorted out later. At this moment in time, nothing was more important to me than being with Bella, touching her, feeling her hand in mine and breathing in the luscious scent that surrounded her.

…**Bella…**

I wasn't totally surprised when Edward began hearing my thoughts in his mind. My family and I had discussed this at length…about what would happen if and when I found my mate. Carlisle and Esme did not have special gifts, but they could communicate once they became aware of each other. It was the same with Emmett and Rosalie.

Things were slightly different with Alice and Jasper. They were both gifted and they shared their gifts with each other. Alice could read emotions from others, although she couldn't manipulate them like Jasper could. Jasper got flashes of the future from Alice. They could also hear each other's thoughts.

I had been told that it was a perk of finding one's mate. We had met some nomads who claimed to be mates, but I found that they couldn't hear each other's thoughts. Mated couples could hear each other and I had seen examples of that with every truly mated couple that I had met.

My gift allowed me to hear everyone's thoughts, but no one had ever heard mine before. And now Edward could. At this point in our relationship it was intermittent on his part, but within a short amount of time we would be able to hear each other over great distances. It was partially because of the bond we now shared and partially because I was sharing my gift with him. It amazed me that it would be so, with him being human.

The bond we now shared…I found myself looking down at his hand where it rested on my thigh as we waited for the class to be over. Feeling his eyes on me, I raised my chin and looked into his eyes. I had never seen eyes as darkly green as his, with flecks of gold surrounding the pupil. I could lose myself in them.

_Questions, yes, I have questions_…his mental voice was quizzical. _Where should we go when we skip class? I've never actually skipped a class before. Do you suppose you are going to be a bad influence on me? I do think it has to be somewhere where I can touch you. Can I at least hope that you are going to be a bad influence on me? _His eyes were dancing with mirth, with an undercurrent of desire.

Smiling, I thought about it briefly. _We could go to my home; it will be quiet for the next couple of hours, we'd be free to talk…and touch. I need that too, so much…And maybe you'll be the one that is a bad influence on me…_

A soft growl left my throat as his eyes darkened even more_._

_Did you just growl? Wow…hot…sure, your house would be great. You came in the big jeep, right?_ I nodded to him as I looked down and concentrated on his hand again, lightly touching the back of it with my fingers. The heat he exuded made my own hand feel warm. _If you don't mind, you could ride with me on my bike…_

Edward showed me his candy apple red motorcycle in his mind. I could tell that he was quite proud of it. He had earned the money to buy it by working at a local feed store over the summer. _I've got two helmets…_

That made me laugh a little and he looked up with a question in his mind. _What's so funny?_

Smiling at him, I told him that we _really_ needed to talk. He nodded his head as he brought his hand up to caress my cheek. His touch was soothing, yet exhilarating.

I would have to tell him the truth about me, all the facts of my existence. That thought scared me; we were all about keeping the secret. It was the one rule of being a vampire. And now I was going to tell this human all about it. How would he take it? Would he run, scoff, try and kill me with a stake to my heart? All I heard in his mind was curiosity and excitement about skipping class with me…being alone with me.

The rest of the class was finished with their cleanup and were busy watching us and watching the clock. Several of them could hardly wait to tell their friends about the shocking turn of events. Their thoughts ran along the lines of _the new girl and the bronze haired nerd were holding hands. _A couple of them were jealous of both him and of me.

The bell rang and still keeping our hands entwined we gathered our book bags and left the class. Edward pictured his locker. It was down the hall and on the right. He kept out his math and English books, the only classes that had homework for the day. My locker was just around the corner and we stopped there and I put my books away.

_Aren't you going to take your books home?_ He asked.

Looking deeply into his eyes I answered him, _I was hoping that I could use yours…_

A smile lifted his lips as we walked towards the exit doors. We passed the gym and I asked him to wait. Alice was in the gym class that we were skipping out on. I could see her sitting on the bleachers since it was her first day of class and she didn't have to dress down. I called her name quietly and she looked over to where Edward and I were standing just outside the doors. A smile lit her face when she saw us and she waved gaily.

_Have fun, we are all looking forward to meeting him when we get home, Esme and Carlisle won't be back until the same time we get there._ Her mental voice was incredibly excited and I knew she was happy about the state of affairs.

"You knew this was going to happen, didn't you?" I was shocked when I realized that. She laughed, waving me away.

_Go and have fun, but not too much fun_. _He has to know what he's getting into…it's too late for both of you, but he should know anyway_. _By the way, there're some cookies, fruit and some sodas at the house. He'll be hungry. He is a teenager after all…_

I looked up at Edward and he looked a bit confused. It occurred to me that he was hearing part of this through our connection. Lifting my hand to his cheek I said, "Come on, she's right. We do have a lot to talk about. One part of the puzzle is that Alice is psychic. She saw that you were going to be coming home with me, and she left something for you to eat at the house."

Edward's hand came up and covered mine where it rested against his face. "It seems that there _are_ a lot of questions to be answered. Let's go." _Psychic? That's interesting. I wonder if she could tell me who's going to win the OU/Texas game this weekend? Wait, it wouldn't be nearly as much fun to watch if I knew who was going to win…I won't ask. Maybe I could ask which teams are going to be in the Super Bowl though…nah, that wouldn't be fair or fun either…_

Holding my hand, he led me to his bike where it was parked with several others. "I can't ride it when it's really rainy. I drive the old truck my parents got me when I turned 16, but I do love riding this. I even have some rain gear to wear when it's wet, but not too wet." He unlocked the seat and pulled two helmets out. He handed me one, and I put it on, not wanting to explain just then that I really didn't need it. Placing his books in the seat, he put his own helmet on and threw his leg over the saddle then kicked the starter. The engine roared into life.

I just stood there for a moment taking in how hot he looked right then. His laugh filled my ears along with his mental voice, _Hot, huh?_ _Come on, Lady, ride with me…_

_Lady? I'm your old Lady? _

He just cocked his head and smiled at me as he sat a bit deeper into the saddle of the bike, waiting for me. We hadn't been touching for about a minute and I was definitely missing the contact, so I slipped onto the seat behind him. My body slid forward and I pressed my chest into his warm back. I felt him take in a deep breath at the connection of our bodies.

I was touching him from my shoulders clear down to my knees. It was almost enough, but not quite. Slipping my arms around his waist, I lifted his shirt at the front and put my hands against his torso, gripping his naked sides with my cold palms.

A shiver ran through him, but it wasn't from the cold. _That's hot…and almost enough_, he thought as he put the bike into gear. _Which way?_

I gave him directions and we headed out of the parking lot, the bike making a muffled roar.

_I had thought about getting a set of helmets with an intercom system. Now I'm glad that I saved my money. This works really well._ His mind was smug with our non-verbal exchange.

I laughed and hugged myself closer to him, my thighs gripping his. He was right, it was _almost_ close enough. I wondered what he'd think about how close we'd have to be to ease the ache that was overtaking both of us. He didn't catch that out of my mind and I was glad. There was still quite a bit of conversation that was needed before we got _that_ far.

Telling him to slow down as we approached the drive to our house, I showed him the driveway in my mind. He down shifted and we made the entry into the long drive smoothly. Our house was about a mile off the road and he drove carefully. When we made the last turn and he saw the house for the first time he was speechless for a moment.

_I didn't know that we had any mansions here in Forks…_He approved the clean lines of the three story structure and the amount of windows that he could see from the front.

_Esme, my mother, will be pleased that you like it. She took a rather dilapidated old house and made it into this_.

He stopped the bike and I gave him another squeeze before stepping off and removing my helmet. He took his off too and we set them both on the seat and turned to look at each other.

There was a brief moment where I didn't know what to do next. Edward took matters into his own hands and stepped closer to me. He raised his hand to my face and lightly ran the back of it down and across my cheekbone. I felt my eyes close as the feeling of relief ran through me again.

_I don't know what this is, but I never want it to stop. _His mental voice was soft and full of wonder.

Stepping back I held my hand out to him and he took it without hesitation. I turned and led him up the steps and into the house.

"Wow, this is beautiful." He looked around at the open space that made up our living room. He led me to the back wall which was made up of windows and looked out over a rambling garden towards the river. _I love how open this looks. It's almost like we are part of the landscape._

"Esme spent the better part of a year traveling back and forth from our last home, preparing the house before we all arrived. The garden is her favorite element of the remodeling project." I spoke out loud. When he turned from looking outside I asked him if he'd like a snack. "You heard Alice say that we have cookies, fruit and soda. Does any of that sound appealing to you?"

Our hands were still entwined and he tugged me gently to him. "First I think that I need more of this, of you..." Edward lowered his head and placed his face in the crook of my neck again. This time it was me gasping when his warm breath flowed over my skin.

_You smell so good, I kept getting a hint of your scent from the moment I arrived at school today. I couldn't figure out where it was coming from. I had finally decided that it was someone's perfume and I wanted to get some._ He played the scene of Lauren thinking it was her he was sniffing and how he had diverted her by blowing his nose.

I laughed and showed him my moment with the freshman boy. I nuzzled into the curve of his shoulder and as my cold nose travelled up to his earlobe he groaned into my neck and lifted me up into his arms. I locked my legs around his waist and he pulled me closer to his chest, fastening his arms around me. The closeness was a relief to us both.

"Let's sit on the couch," I said and pictured the white leather sofa behind us. Edward continued to breathe into my neck as he walked slowly backwards. When he felt the sofa against his calves, he lowered us down to the buttery softness.

My knees rested on either side of his thighs as I sat back against his knees. I raised my face to place my forehead against his. The skin to skin contact was wonderful and I could see in his thoughts that he felt the same. Without a conscious decision my fingers slipped up and over his shoulders and came to rest in the hair at the nape of his neck. Now it was my turn to groan when I felt his silky bronze locks for the first time. I let my fingers weave into his hair and placed the pads of my fingers against his scalp.

_Almost close enough_…we thought at the same time.

Edward shifted me closer to his chest and slipped his hands beneath my shirt. He placed his palms up flat against my shoulder blades as he pulled me even closer.

"That's just about close enough," I whispered. "At least close enough for this conversation."

He nodded his head where it still rested at my forehead.

"What question do you want to ask first?" I murmured. _I might even have an answer for you…_

He thought for a moment. I could see several different thoughts half form in his mind before he finally found the most pressing one, the one he wanted to know the answer to the most.

_Will this connection between us last forever? _He asked, his mind as full of longing as mine was.

_Yes…yes, it will_, I answered then clarified my comment. _If you choose to accept it, but I really need to tell you what that choice consists of…_

A long sigh left his lungs. _Yes, please, I choose to accept this. The mere thought of not being with you, close to you, of leaving you is totally unacceptable. I _cannot_ be without you now; I think it would literally kill me. That sounds so dramatic, like it's coming from a seventeen year old boy, but I know, without a shadow of doubt that we belong together. I've never felt so whole in my entire life._

"But you don't even know what's happening here, you don't know what I am…" He was shaking his head even as I spoke those words out loud.

Lifting his head enough to look me in the eyes he said, clearly and with determination, "Listen to me and hear me when I say that I cannot imagine my life without you in it now. I've only known you a couple of hours and I don't even want to imagine it." I searched his eyes and found truth there and released the breath that I hadn't realized I was holding.

"Now we need to be closer…" Edward leaned towards me, his eyes on my mouth before he slowly pressed his lips to mine for the first time. The warmth where he touched me spread across my face and filled my unbeating heart. I hadn't felt this alive in twenty-three years, or even from before, when I was human. Our lips slowly moved together, slanting and seeking. A groan left him and I felt a growl rise in my chest to answer him.

Edward pulled my hips closer to his body and our kisses became more heated as we pressed against each other. My tongue outlined his lower lip and he opened his mouth to me. I groaned, as good as he smelled, I was amazed that he tasted even better. I ran my tongue over his teeth and he let our tongues become tangled.

_Let me in, please_…he asked as he tried to move into my mouth.

_I can't, not just yet. There's more that we have to talk about. There's more that you need to know…_

_Okay, if you insist, but let's just kiss a while longer, okay? I've only kissed once before and it wasn't anything like this… _I heard the passion in his voice and I couldn't say no. I had only shared a kiss once before and it was nothing like this. This was heaven on earth. Now that I was experiencing it, I knew why my family was at it all the time; I wondered how they could stop. I occurred to me that it was probably because we were newly mated, or at least trying to become so.

I knew we needed to stop when I realized just how stimulated we were both becoming. The way I was sitting on his lap showed me just how aroused he was and I could smell and feel my own. The need to form a physical bond with each other was rapidly taking us over.

_Yes, it is, I'm not even sure what this bond needs to consist of, but my body is pushing me towards something, pushing me towards you and I want to let go and just find it_…he sighed as he pushed me back the smallest amount. _If we need to continue talking, let me get something to drink and then we can talk…_

With one last tender kiss on his lips, I slipped off his lap and offered him my hand, needing to keep some skin on skin contact.

"Come on, let's see what Alice left for you." I looked away as Edward adjusted himself when he got to his feet. If I could have blushed, I would have. Edward laughed at my discomfiture.

"Hey, you caused this!" He was right and I laughed gently as I led him into the kitchen. I laughed again when I saw a package of Oreos, three bananas and two apples on the kitchen counter. There was a note in Alice's writing sitting beside the food, "Soda and water in the fridge."

Edward was looking around the kitchen and after reading the note he let my hand go and opened the door of the refrigerator. He looked startled when he saw what was in it, or rather, what wasn't in it. His mind was a blank when he glanced over at me. Then he started looking through the cabinets. He made sure to brush his hand against my arm as he moved passed me in his search. The only things he found were dishes, pots and pans, silverware. There was no food: fresh, canned or otherwise.

_No food? None at all? I saw the size of Emmett, that guy has to eat a lot. _He sounded confused when his search ended.

"Yes, there is no food in the house. Except for what Alice left here for you. Her psychic abilities really do come in handy sometimes. I'm guessing that Esme will be bringing some groceries when she returns home, because Alice will have told her that you are here. But there is no food here because we eat, or rather, drink our meals…out in the woods."

Edward had taken a bottle of water out of the refrigerator. He opened it and drank down half of it then replaced the lid and put it on the counter next to the snacks. I was trying to catch his thought process but I was having a hard time keeping up. A lot of theories were racing through his mind. Several of them were based on comic books and sci-fi movies.

Edward approached me where I was leaning against the marble counter. He put his hands on my waist and lifted me up onto it. He spread my legs and stepped close to me, slipping his hands beneath my shirt and around to my shoulder blades again. That was quickly becoming my favorite position in the world. His biceps, wrists and hands touching my skin felt heavenly.

_Why don't you need food in the kitchen, Bella? Why do you drink your meals in the woods?_ His mind was actually quite calm, but I wondered if the truth of my nature would cause him to run from me, from the bond that had formed between us today. Maybe it would be the final thing in this so very odd day that would make him run screaming from my presence.

Placing my hands at the nape of his neck and weaving my fingers into his hair I leaned my face into his neck. I was trying to get the maximum amount of skin contact and once I did, I showed him, through pictures in my mind, my true self.

I showed him that I was a vampire and what that entailed; that I had been one for twenty-three years after my family and I had been in a car crash. The Cullens had found us, my dad was already dead, but my mom had asked Carlisle to do whatever it took to save me…and he had.

I showed him my family, the Cullens, and the way that we are different from many of our kind.

I showed him that we hunted animals for our meals, not people.

I showed him the love we felt for each other, that we were not just a coven, but that we are a family in every sense of the word.

I showed him that Alice was psychic and Jasper could both feel and manipulate emotions in others.

Trying to allow him full disclosure, I showed him others of our kind, the ones with red eyes who did not hunt animals.

Then I showed him that he was my soul mate; that the makeup of our scents had led us to each other, that there would never be anyone else for me. That the first time I realized that he, Edward Masen, was the source of that overwhelmingly wonderful aroma I had discovered only this morning, that I was lost and had only found myself when he touched my hand for the first time in the lab.

I showed him that he was it for me, that I would love him forever and that as a vampire, forever was a very long time.

Finally I showed him that if this was all too much for him, there was a way to erase his memory of this day. I would never forget, but Jasper could manipulate his emotions to make this all feel like a dream. We would leave, never to bother him again. If I was gone, and he wasn't exposed to my scent, maybe the connection he felt for me could be expunged. I actually wasn't sure it would work. Or if he would feel the loss forever, but if he didn't wish to have me near him, we could try it and see.

During the entire reveal Edward had remained pressed as close as he could possibly be to me. I had felt tension in his body at some points in the story. Particularly when he had seen the way that Emmett enjoyed taking down grizzly bears for dinner and when I showed him some of our less civilized red-eyed brethren. His mind had just taken the pictures in, not judging or making comments, just absorbing it all.

When I was done I tucked my face closer to his neck, wondering if this was the last time that I would be allowed to do so. Edward took a deep breath and held it. After a very long moment he let it out with a sigh as he pulled me impossibly closer to his chest.

"Bella, I don't know what I've done in my short life to be blessed this way, to be blessed by finding _you_, but it doesn't matter to me that you aren't fully human. All that matters is that we belong together. I can feel the truth of that in my soul." He leaned back so that he could look into my face and continued, "Don't even think about erasing my memory. Some people search their whole lives for what we found today. I'm grateful that I didn't have to wait that long." He leaned in and kissed me softly on the lips. "I don't know how it's possible, but this _is_ what love feels like. Love at first sight--or sniff--or whatever. It's real and it's right." He pressed his lips to mine again.

_Whatever we have to do to make this pain go away, we need to do, and soon. I'm aching and feel that I'm not nearly close enough to you_. He chuckled briefly. _Great, now you think that it's all about sex for me! But I feel like if I don't touch you completely, I'm going to die…or spontaneously combust!_

Elation flowed through my body and I kissed him back. When he tried to deepen the kiss, I had to tell him that he couldn't. _My teeth, they're very sharp and if we're not careful you'll cut your tongue on them and that would be very bad at this point in time._

_Oh, because the blood might make you crazy or something? _He asked.

I waited a moment before I answered him. _No, because it would make you start to change into a creature like me… _

There was a long pause while he considered my answer. He lifted his lips from mine and then asked, "And that would be bad why?"

* * *

**A/N**…well, Edward is taking all of these revelations quite well…don't you think? I decided that in this story…he does just that. No running off to Alaska for either our vampire or our human, no letting the other go for some perceived thought of how it will be safer for them…nope…let's just see how GREAT it would be to actually BE together…yes, I'm all about the HEA, you know, the HAPPILY EVER AFTER…without a lot of angst to wade through. You all know that there are tons of wonderful stories out there just chock full of angst…this is not one of those stories…nope, this is about loving someone, completely, and having some fun while we are at it…

**So, anyone think it's fun yet?**

While you are all anxiously awaiting the lovely LIME that is in the next chapter, oh, and the one after that too, go and read something by **LJ Summers, kejce, u2shay, AMayes and 107yearoldvirgin**…that should keep you busy until Wednesday, and Chapter Four of IMMERSION…

Thanks for reading…and reviewing!

Kathie


	4. Chapter 4

Waving \o/…Hi everyone…can't thank you all enough for the lovely reviews, they really do make my day. There is a **LIME** in this chapter…not a lemon, but a **LIME**…I could now write a couple more paragraphs in this a/n but there are some of you that would just skip it, so that you can get to the **LIME**…you know who you are! So, I'm stopping now and letting you read…well, after I tell you again that reading in the 1/2 page format (buttons in the upper right corner) make reading so much easier...okay, now go read...

* * *

…**Chapter Four…**

…**Edward…**

This was a lot to take in…my soul mate is a vampire. The pictures she shared in her mind with me took my breath away. Here I had felt like an X-Man when I realized that we could hear each other's thoughts, but this…this was bigger. She had briefly touched on the fact that there were also shape-shifters, people here, in my home town of Forks, who turned into giant wolves.

My world got larger in a heartbeat.

It also became much more focused. The center of my universe was now Bella…only Bella. And I told her so.

Throughout the entire reveal, my mind kept drawing away from what she was showing me. Not that it wasn't fascinating, but I could barely get beyond the fact of how much I needed to touch her, how much I needed her to touch me. The skin on skin contact we had right this moment, her face in my neck, my arms around her beneath her shirt, the skin from my forearms to the tips of my fingers pressed to her back, it just wasn't enough.

Even though she never showed me the process, I was beginning to suspect that the only thing that would alleviate the ache that was punishing my body, and hers, was beyond anything that I had ever experienced before, except in my dreams. I'm a seventeen year old boy after all and I had had some pretty vivid dreams…that usually culminated in stained sheets.

My sexual experience was minimal. I had kissed Sandi once. We had looked at each other and wondered, briefly, if there was something more there. Our kiss had quickly let us know that, no, there wasn't. The laughter that followed, on both our parts, had kept our friendship from becoming weird. We agreed to never speak of it again. That was my only close contact with a girl. Well, besides the time those two girls had accosted me in the hallway after school. And that encounter had just been disgusting, nothing sexy or romantic about it at all.

When Bella and I started kissing earlier, that helped the ache in my body and soul. Her tongue touching mine had eased the ache even more. That's when I started to suspect that this soul mate thing was going to become even more physically demanding on us both before too much longer.

Our kisses were assuaging the pain, but causing my libido to go into overdrive. Her deep kisses helped to ease the ache even more, but when I tried to reach into her mouth with my tongue she said that I couldn't do so.

_My teeth, they're very sharp and if we're not careful you'll cut your tongue on them and that would be very bad at this point in time. _The picture in her mind showed my blood mingling with the venom in her mouth.

_Oh, because the blood might make you crazy or something? _I asked.

_No, because it would make you start to change into a creature like me… _

I considered her answer. She had shown me the good things and bad ones about being a vampire. The good would be that I would be like her…durable and able to be with her forever.

"And that would be bad why?" I asked.

I could feel Bella stiffen beneath my hands. And her mind stilled completely. It appeared that I had surprised, shocked…amazed her.

Her fingers tightened on my hair and she put a bit of distance, like one centimeter, between us. Her eyes had darkened from gold to nearly black. I now knew that her eye color was because of her diet. A little shiver ran down my spine at the memory of those others with red eyes.

"Edward, you have your whole life ahead of you. You have parents and friends who love you I've seen that you want to continue with your schooling. You're so bright, you could be a rocket scientist, find the cure for cancer, you could become a concert pianist…or a father." Her mind flitted through all of those careers, picturing me in those situations. She came to a halt at a picture of me holding a small child with her brown hair and my green eyes. I felt her sadness over the fact that that could never happen.

_I'm frozen just as I was at eighteen, Edward. I'll never bear children as my body doesn't change; I'll never be able to have your baby._ Bella's mind flitted to thoughts of Esme and Rosalie and how they missed the possibility of children to an enormous degree.

_First, I'm seventeen. I haven't given a lot of thought to children anyway. And the school thing, you all go to school, so I could still do that._ I saw the newborn years run through her mind, the blood lust, the lack of control, the red eyes. _Then I could do school after, when I got some control back._

I pressed my cheek up against hers, the coolness soothing my inner ache. _Bella, I know that there will be some hurdles to overcome, even big ones, but right this minute all I can think about is the fact that I need to be closer to you. I need to be touching you. Bella, I need to be inside you._

I couldn't believe I was thinking something like that, much less saying it to someone that I had only known a few hours. But it was the truth. More profound words had never been spoken or thought.

Bella pushed me away and slipped off the counter. She reached out and took my hand.

_Let's go to my room_…

I heard passion, love, lust…and some anxiety in her mind. So, she basically sounded just like I felt. I nodded and she led me from the kitchen and up the stairs.

…**Bella…**

So many things were running through my mind as we walked up the stairs to my bedroom. Both of us were feeling the same urges, the need to be close was almost overwhelming. The feelings brought on by finding our mate were nearly out of control between us. It didn't matter that he was a human to my vampire. The intensity was growing by leaps and bounds to complete the bond and become mates in every sense of the word.

I was going to have to take us to the edge, but not let us fall over.

_But I want to fall, and I want to take you with me_…his mental voice was sharp with the ache that I felt too.

_Oh, my love, so do I…but we have to think this through. You need to know everything_. We had reached my closed door and I stopped him there with a hand on his chest as I looked into his dark green eyes. _Before we go in here I have to tell you that we can't, um, go all the way._

A groan escaped him as he pulled me close to his chest, his hands seeking the cool flesh of my back again, seeking to assuage the hurt of not being close enough.

I had to try and ease his pain, and mine too. _I know, beloved, but there are things that we can still do…and things that I can't wait to do with you and to you and for you. Things that will help us get beyond the pain that we are feeling now. _I chuckled into his neck. _I know that it feels like we'll explode if we don't do everything right now, but the fact is, once we do go all the way--once we have sex--that's the only thing that we are going to want to do for a very long time._

"And, again, that would be bad, why?" His voice was ragged with need, mirroring the sound his voice made in my head and I almost caved right then. I wanted to cave…completely and totally.

I lifted my head to look him in the eyes and spoke out loud, "Because, love, we can't just disappear for a year…or two. Your family and friends would miss you. A lot of people saw us leave the school today, together on your bike. We can't just walk away from everything right this minute."

He considered my words for a moment. "A year…or two?" A magnificent smile lit his face. "Do you mean to say that when we actually have _sex_, we are going to want to keep at it for a year…or two?"

_Or three_…I would have been blushing if I could do so. The wicked gleam in his eyes told me that this would not be a bad thing to his mind, and honestly, I couldn't see a lot of a downside either. But I had to try and think clearly, I tried to convince him, and convince myself too..._My family has told me about when they found their mates. __Thankfully they had discovered them before I was changed. Their memories of the _mating years_ are intense enough; I can't imagine what it would have been like living with them. Whenever they remember those years, I just have to leave, even now…and run for miles to get away from their thoughts._

When he caught a few of the memories that they had shared with me, a growl erupted out of his chest and he picked me up and pressed me against the wall. Our lower bodies came together and the pressure of his arousal as he ground his hips against my pelvis nearly melted my bones. My legs came around his waist as I crashed my lips to his. Instead of trying to penetrate my mouth, Edward sucked my lower lip into his and nibbled there…a groan left me and he echoed the sound in his mind.

_Move me over towards the door so that I can open it, I think the bed might be more comfortable than this wall. Although this is quite hot_…He did as I asked. I reached down and turned the knob. He stepped inside and I kicked the door closed with my foot. Edward stopped kissing me long enough to look around the room. He spotted the bed and in four large steps we were there. He gently placed me on top of the dark blue comforter, his hands lingering along my jaw before he straightened up.

Keeping his eyes on mine, he lifted his shirt up and over his head, dropping it at his feet. A gasp left my mouth at the sight of his naked chest. He was gorgeous, all sculpted muscles with a light dusting of bronze hair that started high and trailed off down beneath the waistband of his low slung jeans. That summer job had done more than allow him to earn a motorcycle that was for sure.

I knelt on the bed and lifted my own shirt up and off, tossing it towards the floor. Considering this was the first time I had ever bared my body to anyone, I probably should have felt a little bit of embarrassment, but there was none. I wanted him to look at me, I wanted him to see me…I wanted him to touch me. _Touch me, Edward…please…_

_Bella, you are so gorgeous, I want to touch you_…There was no green to be seen in his eyes as they shifted and looked down my body. I nearly felt the heat of them passing over me.

Reaching behind me, I unhooked my lacy bra, grateful that Alice kept my lingerie drawer full of pretty things. But before I could slide the straps down off my shoulders Edward was on the bed kneeling before me. The heat of his knees as they touched the outside of my thighs was heavenly.

_Wait, let me_…He placed his fingertips on my hands where they rested on my jeans clad thighs and slipped his fingers slowly up my arms to my shoulders where the straps lay. Deliberately he pulled them down my arms, exposing my breasts to his gaze. He tossed the bra to the floor too. Again I could almost feel the heat as he looked at me.

_Bella, I don't think I'm going to be able to keep control here, I've never seen a woman bare, much less touched one. And you…you are amazing…so beautiful.._. His fingers slid deeply into the hair at the nape of my neck and pulled my mouth to his. I slipped my arms around his waist and pulled our naked torsos close.

Relief filled us both at that amount of skin on skin contact. His body heat seeped into my skin, warming me like my own personal sun. A deep groan left his throat.

Best. Sound. Ever.

He started nipping at my bottom lip. After a few moments I slipped my tongue deeply into his mouth, stroking each part of it. I wanted to learn the contours of his teeth, I wanted to caress his tongue with mine. _I want you so much…_

_***_

_Me too, my Lady, me too_. Slowly Edward maneuvered us until we were lying face to face on the bed. I could feel his heart pounding in his chest and the blood flowing through his veins. The question of bloodlust ran through my mind, but I found myself totally in control of that aspect of my nature. The only lust I was feeling was for his body. We needed to connect in some manner...soon.

The warmth of his skin where he pressed against mine started to fill me with a heat that had nothing to do with body temperature. But I worried that he would feel chilled by being so close to me.

_Oh no, Bella, the coolness is probably the only thing that's keeping me sane right now…you feel so good…I want to be closer…_

_I need to be closer too_. Our legs tangled together. I stripped his socks off with my toes and ran the arch of my foot up and down his muscular calf. Each new place that our skin touched eased the ache that we were both feeling just that little bit more. I ran my hands down his back and rested them against his denim covered cheeks. I squeezed gently and he hissed into my mouth.

My touching him there gave him permission to touch me too. He moved his hands down from where he was holding my shoulder blades and grasped my hips; he pulled me roughly to him. I could feel his arousal against my lower stomach.

Edward shifted, rolling his hips into my body and then his thigh settled between mine. I bucked against him as I tried to get more contact. Our hands were busy, touching and caressing every inch of each other's naked skin. _I love touching you, Edward; the heat of your skin is amazing…so smooth…I could become addicted._

The relief at actually touching each other so intimately was easing the ache that had been growing since we first met in class. Now that I thought about it, the urge to be close had started when I first smelled him at the beginning of the day. I was quite thrilled that he wasn't the old grizzled geezer guy that my imagination had conjured at lunch, but that he was this hot young man lying next to me, loving me, caressing me.

We were both becoming beyond aroused with the intimacy of our touches. My stomach was tightening and I could feel a coil of heat beginning to strengthen in him too. An outburst of some kind was imminent…

_I need to be closer to you…_Edward nudged my legs apart with his knee and rolled us over until he was lying between my legs. As his weight settled there I gasped at the pressure that his arousal was causing at the apex of my thighs. I gripped him tighter and he thrust against me.

If we had been naked that's when we would have come together, when we would have become one, when our _one to three mating years_ would have begun.

As it was, I was arching my back to bring our chests closer together. We were pressing our pelvises against each other, pushing and groaning as we strove to get even closer. The friction of his denim covered cock against my sex was making me crazy. _That's it, Edward, so close…_

_Bella…my Lady…me too, I need you so much…tilt your hips just a little and wrap your leg around me. That's it, my Lady, my Bella…ah, that's it…just a little more… _

With another thrust of his hips he hit right where I needed him to…and I came apart. He saw it happening in my mind and his back stiffened as he threw his head back and my name came out of his mouth in a long groan as he reached his own peak.

I had heard others talk about seeing fireworks when they climaxed…I had even seen it in their memories, much to my dismay…but to actually feel myself reach that pinnacle for the first time was astounding…even more so when Edward came moments later. We were both experiencing each other's emotions and feelings and the waves of ecstasy seemed to roll on between us forever.

***

Finally the shudders eased and our bodies relaxed against each other. Edward slipped down and laid his head onto my chest. He buried his face in my neck, resting against me until his breathing calmed down. I hadn't needed the air, but I had found myself panting along with him.

_Oh, my Bella, that was, well I don't think I have words for what that was I've read about it and dreamed about it, but there really aren't any words to tell you just how amazing that felt_…Edward slowly moved off to my side, pulling me with him until we were once again face to face. Our chests were still pressed against each other and our legs entangled. I tucked my face into his neck as his strong arms came around me and pulled me closer.

_Yes, love, it was incredible; you are right, it is almost beyond words. I had no idea it could feel that good. I've seen it in other's thoughts but never realized how overpowering it could really be. How do _you_ feel right now?_ After our release some of the pains had been alleviated in my body. _I feel better, less achy…do you?_

I listened as he took mental stock of how he felt.

_Well, I do feel a lot of relief, my Lady_…the smug tones in his mind made me laugh.

"What? I do feel better! And I know you do too" He laughed as he kissed me on the end of my nose and rolled onto his back, pulling me close to his side. I lay my arm across his chest and settled my leg up over his thighs.

He wriggled just a bit as he adjusted himself. "Okay, that's just a bit, um, messy."

His comment made me laugh this time. I reached up and kissed him full on the lips. "Let me go get a pair of Jasper's pants. You have a similar build; I think his will fit you. Do you want to take a shower while I get them?"

_Are you going to join me in there?_ His look was hopeful for a moment, but then he looked a little worried. _I'm not sure how I'll cope being away from you yet…_

I had wondered about that too. _No time like the present to test it._ I sat up and rolled away from him to the edge of the bed.

Pausing there, we waited to see how we'd feel when we weren't touching.

_Okay so far…let's see how it is when I move away…not that I want to go far at all _

I stood and stepped away from the bed. I felt a tug through my body, but nothing like the pull towards him it had been earlier. When I turned back to face him his eyes slid down my body and then back up before dropping again. That's when I realized that I was still only wearing my jeans.

"Hey, bucko, eyes up here!" I pointed to my face, which was covered by a very wide smile.

Edward laughed and leaped from the bed, catching me and swinging me around in a circle. Our upper bodies pressed tightly together once again.

_You better get cleaned up unless you want to meet my family when they arrive in fifteen minutes in those messy jeans There are clean towels in my bathroom, now put me down._ Edward smiled while placing me gently back on my feet. He didn't step away, but placed an open mouthed kiss in the crook of my neck and then rested his forehead against my shoulder. He slipped his arms around me and cupped my shoulder blades again. I loved that and told him so.

_I feel the tug, but it's not like it was earlier. Let's see how it is when I'm in the shower and you are off somewhere getting me some clean clothes_…He straightened up and walked away from me slowly, like he was testing the strength of the pull. I heard him sigh in relief when it didn't get hideous as he stepped out of my view and into the bathroom.

I swept my bra and shirt up from the floor and had them on before I reached my bedroom door. I was back in my room in a few seconds after fetching a pair of soft jeans from Alice and Jasper's room. Holding them up, I figured they would fit him pretty well. I tried not to imagine the denim hugging his perfect ass…I heard his laugh in my mind at my mental wanderings. Having someone in my mind was going to be hard to get used to.

The shower was running, steam beginning to fill the room when I stepped to the bathroom door.

_I know you're out there. Did you change your mind and want to join me?_ Edward's mind was calm and tranquil, more so than it had been since I first met him in biology.

_No, love…now that we both feel more relaxed we still need to talk about some things. And I think that if I step into the shower with you, we'll just start all over_

"And what's so bad about that?" Edward's green eyes peeked around the shower wall, a smile in his voice, and I felt the pull begin anew.

"Nothing is wrong with that, per se, but we do have things to talk about and my family will be here any minute. Hurry up and get dressed…" I dropped the clean pants and his shirt on the counter and left the room. He was laughing at me as I went.

_Guess I'm going to go commando_…

Oh, that man was going to be the death of me. His naked butt notwithstanding, I tested my feelings and decided that things were still okay, that the tension was manageable. I had no idea how long the relief would last…how long it would take before we needed to _connect_ again. Maybe my family would be able to tell me.

But then again, maybe not. I had never heard them speak of a vampire and human who had become _mates_. We had friends in Alaska who had taken human males as sexual partners over the past several decades, not as mates, but as flings, boy toys, one night stands. It had taken them a bit of trial and error to figure out just how to play with them…and not kill them. They were dedicated, though, and worked at it long and hard. They had never bonded with any of them; they just enjoyed them and then moved on.

I know this because they really did relish telling me about their conquests. Apparently my virgin status made me fair game for embarrassing stories. I could no longer blush, but they certainly enjoyed my discomfiture. Emmett was usually right there listening to them and watching me squirm, then teasing me about it later. Edward laughed again as I shared a couple of the stories they had told me.

Yes, it was going to take me a little while to get used to the fact that someone was in _my_ mind for a change. I wondered if we'd be able to keep each other out at all? Maybe we could find a private channel inside our minds. My family had been able to keep some things separate from each other, but they had to work very hard to keep things from me. The double blessing, or curse, of being able to hear my mate and share my gift might be hard to handle, for both of us.

It almost seemed like it would be easier to just change him and then have our mating year…or three. But he had so much to live for. We definitely needed to talk, with each other and with the family.

_I agree, we do need to talk_ _and I think that I need to kiss you again, or at least hold your hand soon_…The shower cut off and it took a lot of strength to wait here, sitting on my bed and not go into that steamy room, knowing that he was wet…and naked…in there. His scent was reaching out of the room towards me. The heat of the shower had magnified it. I breathed in deeply…beautiful.

_Oh, so now I'm beautiful too? And hot when I'm on my bike? This relationship is going very well_…his happy laughter rang out from the steamy room.

The sound of car doors opening and closing and then the front door opening steeled my resolve to behave.

_That's too bad, I was looking forward to you misbehaving, in fact, I was going to encourage it_…Edward stepped into my room as he pulled his shirt back on. Oh yes, the pull was still there and it was building again.

Edward reached his hand out to me and I walked over and took it. He pulled me close and I tucked my face into his neck. _You smell so good, Edward…_

_You do too, my Lady_…He pressed a soft kiss just below my ear and I could feel the tension and lust start to rise in us both. I kissed him back, enjoying the warmth of his lips on mine. I ran my hands up into his damp hair, smoothing the tangles out with my fingers. Pulling gently I tipped his head back so that I could run my nose along his jaw line. His voice was a soft rasp…_I like it when you do that…_

Before the rising heat between us could get out of hand, I heard steps outside my door. Alice was there and still chanting in her mind…

"Sister mine…you better come out of that room, get downstairs and talk to us. There are plans to be made and besides, the rest of the family wants to meet your mate!" Alice's voice rang out clearly.

I debated just ignoring her and starting round two of connecting with Edward when she yelled again.

"Don't make me send Emmett in there after you two! You've got an eternity of lifetimes to make out…and other things. Come on, Edward, your future Father and Mother-in-Law want to make your acquaintance"

Edward and I both gasped as we stared at each other. _In-laws? Wait, what?_


	5. Chapter 5

A/N…Told you so! Yes, one reader even admitted to skipping the A/N at the beginning of the last chapter to get to the citrus…but she had the good grace to go back and read it…after! There is more citrus in this one…and after a bit of conversation with another author, it may actually be more **LEMON** than **LIME**…so, I'm putting ~888~ before and ~888~after the FRUIT, and you can skip it if you wish…it won't kill the plot if you skip over it…on the other hand you can now skip right to it…if that's what you'd like, and skip those plot details that come before and after the loving…Still reads quite nicely in the 1/2 page format...the buttons are up in the upper right of the page...

* * *

…**Chapter Five…**

…**Edward…**

Bella and I were sharing soft, sweet kisses and I felt the tension starting to escalate between us again when a voice started shouting at us from outside Bella's door.

"Sister mine…you better get down here and talk to us. There are decisions and plans to be made and besides, the rest of the family wants to meet your mate!" A voice I recognized as Alice's came through the door loud and clear. It occurred to me that I could hear an echo of her words in my mind. Her voice was accompanied by something that sounded like monks chanting…weird.

Bella shrugged and started kissing me again. I wondered if the door was locked and if so, whether a small, spiky haired vampire would be able to crash through it.

"Don't make me send Emmett in there after you two. You've got an eternity of lifetimes to make out…and other things. Come on, Edward, your future Father and Mother-in-Law want to make your acquaintance."

Bella moved slightly away from me and we both gasped as we stared at each other in shock. In-laws? Marriage? Until death do us part? Forever and always? White dresses and tuxedos? Garters and bouquets?

Honeymoons…ah, now there's a thought.

The idea of marriage hadn't entered my mind as anything more than a passing consideration, ever. Yes, I figured that I'd get married _some day_. But suddenly I wondered if that could be the answer to our separation anxiety, to our need to touch and be touched.

I tried the idea on for size. _Married to you, my soul-mate. Married to the one person who is the center of my universe. Married and able to be with that person—you--all the time…all day…and all night..._

Bella was already passing at school as a seventeen year old. The legal age to get married in Washington is eighteen. I'm not sure where that piece of trivia came from, but I also knew that you could get married at seventeen with a parent's permission. What would my parents say? I'm seventeen, but would my parents sign a waiver so that I could get married? That was an interesting thought.

I glanced up at Bella's face when I heard the shock in her mind at the thoughts that were running through mine.

_Are you crazy? We can't get married! You are a JUNIOR in high school! _Bella's mental voice was a shout and it almost hurt inside my head. I heard squealing from outside the door.

_So are you! Well, you're pretending to be a junior and seventeen; you're really forty-one. A cougar for sure…_The look she leveled at me made me backtrack_. Let's take a minute and really think about this…married…being able to be together, really together…Could that work?_ I had my fingers twined in hers and I could feel the tension in her body. The relief we had felt just minutes ago was no longer in evidence.

I focused on her mind to see where my suggestion had led her. She was flitting from one idea to another so quickly.

_Oh, gosh, could we really do that? No, no…we can't, if we married, we'd really want, and need, to consummate our marriage…so we'd still need one to three years to work through that. You do still have school. And I'm not sure that even your stamina, as a seventeen year old human man-child would be enough to undertake how much I'd need you to be with me, really _be_ with me. Vampire and newly mated, you know._

Her frustration at the thought of what could be, and her thoughts of the ways that she wanted to be with me, almost brought me to my knees. It also trebled the need to be connected to her again. I slipped my hands beneath her shirt, cupping her shoulder blades in my hands, to get more skin contact and tucked my face into her neck.

Before we could act on the need to be together, the door was knocked off its hinges and Alice was standing there, her hands on her hips, scowling at us.

I now knew that the door _wasn't_ strong enough to stand up against a small vampire. I'd have to remember that and not cross her at any point in the future.

"Come downstairs now. You two are all over the board in your emotions and decisions are being made and then changed too quickly for me to keep up." She beckoned to us and I saw that her threat to get Emmett to pick us up and drag us downstairs was not a vain one. She would do it and he'd help her. It was actually quite odd to see the vision of that play out in her mind.

The mental sound of chanting was still going on in the background of her mind.

Bella sighed and pulled me by the hand towards the door. As we passed Alice, Bella stuck her tongue out at her. I heard her think, _She's such a brat sometimes, she could have given us a few more minutes…_

"Let's go, maybe they _can_ help us make some plans." She paused as we reached the landing at the second floor and kissed me on the cheek. "Their minds are clearer than mine. All I can think about is that I want to take you somewhere a little more private and have my way with you."

Her words, which she whispered into my ear, were overheard by the family waiting downstairs. Someone started whistling and hooting before we made it to the bottom of the stairs. _Maybe you should have thought that to me instead…_

_Trust me, Edward, they are all going to love you as much as I do. Actually they probably can't love you as much as I do, because I love you beyond the last star in the heavens and back_…

I could hear the truth in her words and it made me stand tall. Bella loved me, I could handle anything, at least I hoped I could.

The hooting continued as we stepped to the door of the living room. Oh, yeah, this was going to be fun. I was meeting Bella's family for the first time, when they all knew that we were mates and that we had been _connecting_ on some levels

My face was hot and I took a deep breath before she led me into the living room.

All of the confidence that had filled me because I knew that she loved me quickly left when I realized that I really was meeting the parents and the siblings of the woman I was going to marry at some point…the woman who is my mate. It didn't occur to me to be scared that I was also meeting a very large group of vampires until Bella asked if I was worried, but I told her that I wasn't, I just wanted them to like me.

I recognized everyone around the room from Bella's reveal. Judging by the looks on all of their faces as we entered the room, they all knew exactly what we had been up to over the past couple of hours. Emmett was grinning ear to ear and giving me two thumbs up.

I suddenly got a sense of everyone's thoughts. Emmett was thinking of some of the ways that he was going to be teasing us.

It abruptly became overwhelming to hear everyone; it was like being in the middle of a tornado of sound. I could only catch bits and pieces because there were seven of them.

Bella's thoughts were the clearest_…I know they are going to love him and maybe they really can help us figure this out. I _have _to be with him again…and it needs to be soon…_

…_A vampire and a human mated…that hasn't happened before that I can recall, but we are going to have to make this work…for Bella's sake…I wonder if I…_

…_He's so handsome! Just look at how her eyes are sparkling. Oh, this is truly a mated couple…another son…she's giving me another son to love…_

…_His emotions are all over, so are hers for that matter…the lust I felt earlier is just simmering below the surface, I don't know how they haven't given in yet…_

…_Well, at least he's supposed to be smart, maybe he'll be able to keep our secret, but not if he's going to be jumping her in the middle of class…I remember how hard it was to wait until Emmett came out of the change to mate with him…_

…_Wow! Good thing Jazz caught and held back that spike of lust. That first taste of it was enough to get me going. I bet Jasper won't be able keep it up…keep it UP! Having a newly mated couple in the house is going to be fun…I bet Rose is going to be ready any second now…_and that's when his (Emmett's?) thoughts took a turn into x-rated territory. Getting those visuals was not helpful in my current situation.

And finally, Alice had given up on the chanting and was now critiquing all of the students' clothes from her first day at school. I think that was worse than the chanting had been.

Bella was looking up at me, concern on her face. I briefly wondered why when I realized that I was dropping to my knees. All of the voices in my head, overlapping, filling me to the brim were just too hard to take. They were pulling me under, a crushing, tumbling torrent of thoughts, images.

I was becoming lost in their minds, and I rapidly discovered that the makeup of vampire minds was immense. They could think of many things at one time. It was like being in a huge never ending warehouse, full of clear boxes filled with memories and thoughts racing from one thing to the other. I kept trying to focus on just one thought, just one thing to anchor me to something, anything. I knew that I had to find the exit so that I could escape, but there was just too much going on and I felt like I had to look at everything.

Suddenly I could feel cool hands on my face, forcing my head up. "Look at me, Edward. Open your eyes and look at me." _Please, love, look at me…come back…_

Bella…I needed to look at Bella. If I could focus on her, only her…maybe I could find my way out…_I'm trying, my Lady…I'm trying…_

A light began shining in the middle of that vast warehouse of thoughts and memories. It was spotlighting a trail made up of all things _Bella_. I walked along the lit path, smelling her scent just like it was the first time, seeing our first meeting in Biology, our first touch, our first kiss, our first intimate connection.

Relief washed over me. The rest of the voices were nearly gone, just a hint remained, rather like the babbling of a gentle brook. In a blink I unexpectedly stood in the middle of a meadow filled with wildflowers. It was a lovely place; the quiet was soothing, the only sounds were a gentle wind and a creek babbling and burbling its way around the grassy space. A deep sigh left me at the peace I had found and I didn't want to leave, but Bella was calling me.

Wrapping the serenity of the meadow around me like a sheltering cloak, I opened my eyes and looked up into Bella's worried ones.

_I'm back…thank you, my Lady._ Bella's fingers slipped behind my head, touching my scalp with the pads of her fingers. She drew me close and kissed me softly before resting her forehead against mine.

"What happened?" I asked out loud when we moved apart. Her family was still in the room, standing very quietly, watching us. Their mental voices were muted now, nothing clear getting through to me; they sounded like the brook in the meadow.

"Oh, Edward, I'm so sorry. One of the side effects of us becoming mates is that you are sharing my ability. Mated couples can hear each other, I've told you that already, but my gift is that I can hear others, everyone in fact. I've never been able to keep them out. I've learned how to block everyone to a degree, but I've never been able to tune them out entirely. And now you have a portion of that gift too. I'm so sorry…" She rested her cheek against mine.

_What made it go away then? I can barely hear them..._I closed my eyes and could still see that springtime meadow. The only thing that could make it more beautiful would be Bella standing in it with me. Suddenly she was_ there_ with me, holding my hand as we stood in the soft sunshine.

_Where are we?_ Bella was looking around, confusion in her mind. _OH! I can't hear the family. It's quiet here…_

_What's happening? What are you talking about?_ I opened my eyes, keeping the meadow in the back of my mind. I was surprised to find that we were still in the living room; the meadow had looked and felt so real. I stood up, holding Bella's hand in mine.

"What's going on?" Jasper asked. "First you were overwhelmed, then you were at peace and now you're confused, but still peaceful?"

"I heard you all in my head, which is weird, since I haven't even met most of you. I got lost inside all of your thoughts. I focused on Bella and found my way back out. But then I was in a meadow and I could barely hear you anymore. Bella joined me. I still can't hear you very well at all. Your voices are very soft, just a murmur actually, but much easier to bear."

"And I can see us in the meadow, and I can't hear you all very well either, it's like a distant echo of your voices…" Bella looked over at the tall, blonde man. I recognized him from her memories. This man was her creator, her father, Carlisle. He was also the new doctor at Forks General.

When I looked at him he stepped forward, holding his hand out in greeting. "Edward, I'm Carlisle, welcome to the family. Nothing like jumping in with both feet, hm?" His hand was cool, just like Bella's, but a sense of reassurance came from him and wrapped me in a feeling of comfort.

"How about we introduce you to everyone and then we can see if we can come up with a plan to help you both." He turned and introduced me to each family member, starting with his wife, Esme.

She came and wrapped her arms around me, hugging me tightly. I returned the hug with one arm, not wanting to let Bella's hand go.

Stepping back and cupping my face with her cool hands Esme welcomed me. "Edward, I can't thank you enough for putting that sparkle into Bella's eyes. Rest assured, my brilliant husband will be able to help you both with this situation."

Everyone else just nodded to me from where they stood and sat around the room as Carlisle introduced them. Bella pulled me over to the loveseat and sat with me, tucking herself into my side and keeping our hands clasped. I briefly wondered how her family would feel about us sitting so intimately together, but then I decided that since they had all found their soul mates, they probably knew that it was next to impossible for us to be much farther apart.

"You didn't eat any of the snacks I left for you, Edward. Can I get you something before we start?" Alice asked.

I didn't think that I could eat anything but did ask for the rest of my bottle of water. Before the words were completely out of my mouth she was standing back before me with the bottle. "Here you go," she handed it to me with a grin before she went and sat on Jasper's lap. I wanted to pull Bella into my lap too, but decided to try and hang onto a modicum of decorum, for a while anyway. The tension was rising in us both again. I drank the rest of the water in the bottle and set it aside. I tucked Bella closer to my side.

Carlisle was standing near Esme's chair, his hand resting lightly on her shoulder. "First, I think that congratulations are in order. Finding one's mate is definitely an occasion to be celebrated. Some vampires, and some humans for that matter, will never find that one person that is their other half, their soul mate." He smiled at us both and everyone murmured their best wishes.

"This does present us with a dilemma, as I'm sure you both have noticed. Once a match is made, mates are compelled to consummate the relationship. It's almost like a _mating imperative_." I felt a blush start up from my neck to my cheeks. Carlisle noticed and addressed the issue. "Please don't be embarrassed. I can say with 100% accuracy that we have all been where you two are right this minute."

The couples around me smiled at their mates and nodded their heads in agreement and understanding. I could feel a surge in the lust that I was already sensing between Bella and me. Carlisle glanced at Jasper and suddenly the heat inside me was cooling down a little. Bella nodded her thanks to Jasper. I remembered that she had shown me in her reveal that Jasper could feel and manipulate emotions. I was grateful to him right now.

"There was a difference with us though. We were all vampires when our matches were made. We had the opportunity to give into the desire that came from the compulsion to be _together_ in every sense of the word." Carlisle paused and I wished that I could read his mind at that moment, but part of me was still in the meadow and I had a sneaking suspicion that that was keeping the thoughts of those around me at bay. Bella squeezed my hand and nodded slightly at me when I looked over at her.

_Yes, I think that our visit in this lovely meadow is keeping us out of everyone else's minds…I like it. I can think of some tests that I'd like to try. But let's save that conversation for later, after we find out what we can do about our situation._

I nodded at her and focused back on what Carlisle was telling us.

"I'm sure that Bella has told you about the intensity of the first year or two after our mating bond is made."

"Three years…" I couldn't believe that I actually said that out loud and in a hopeful voice, but the laughter from everyone but Bella let me know that I actually had. _Ugh, kill me now._

_No, I'm not killing you now…but if Carlisle doesn't have a plan for how we are going to get through this, I may have to take matters into my own hands…_Her mind went to places that made me groan. The heat was rising again. Jasper cleared his throat and once again I felt a slight easing of the pull that was drawing me to Bella. Her tension also eased and I heard her sigh in relief. This time I nodded my thanks to Jasper and he smiled in return.

"Yes, one to three years. Of course, Emmett and Rosalie were hard to be around for about five." Emmett smirked around the room and lifted his hand like he wanted Rosalie to give him a high five. She just rolled her eyes and looked away from him. But I did see the corner of her lips raise in a small smile.

"The problem is that you cannot just disappear for a year…or three. You have strong ties to your family and the community. You are a minor." Carlisle's face was solemn. "We have just moved here, and had hoped to be able to stay for at least five years. But, do know that if we needed to do so to help the two of you, we would."

I hated the idea that this could cause them to leave. Bella heard my concerns and addressed them. _We've moved for other reasons in the past, and if that's what we have to do, we will…don't worry. Let's just keep listening. I think he does have an idea. I could leave the meadow and see, but I'll just wait until he actually tells us his plan._

Bella's words gave me some hope that we could make this work and I relaxed a little.

…**Bella…**

The only time my mind had been this quiet was when I was miles from everyone. I don't think that I have ever been more shocked than when I found myself in the middle of a lovely meadow with Edward, with the voices of my family very nearly silent. I realized that this was just one compartment in my mind; that the rest of my being was aware and able to keep up with the conversation with Carlisle. It was rather like the part of my mind that can hear everyone was set aside, waiting in the meadow, with Edward. I could hear his mental voice there with me. That was more soothing than anything else could have been.

When he had gotten lost in everyone's minds, I could see him in a big space, filled with all of our thoughts. He had made his way out of their memories, but then he had found his way into the meadow. When he was there alone, I hadn't been able to hear him. That shocked me, a lot. He's my mate and there is nothing that should have kept me out of his mind so completely.

I had been afraid until he had spoken out loud to me, then he had taken me into the meadow with him and I could hear him again.

Interesting. I immediately thought of several experiments that I'd like to try to see just how he was shielding us. But as I told Edward, we needed to listen to Carlisle right now. I had no idea how we were going to be able to wait before acting on our mating desires. It was starting to hurt again, badly. Maybe we should just let go…and change him.

"Edward, I have no idea if your parents would sign a waiver to allow you to marry Bella at this time. If that's all it would take, then we'd get the paper work done for you to marry her right now. But you only met today and in their eyes they aren't going to think enough time has passed, trust me on that. They see you as a junior in high school and Bella the same. And we can't tell them the entire truth. Like the fact that we are vampires who mate forever and that once the match is made, time and age doesn't matter.

"But if you got married tomorrow, that doesn't help the problem with wanting to immerse yourselves in each other for an extended period of time." Carlisle started pacing back and forth in the living room. He was working out the logistics as he moved from one side of the room to the other.

"Even if they allowed you to marry, I'm sure that they wouldn't want you to quit school to spend a year or three getting to know each other carnally. So we have to come up with a plan to allow them to get to know Bella, to see that you love her and that she loves you. They need to see that you both are not throwing your lives away, that you are both in this forever. Unless, of course, we just fake your death, and let them think you are gone. By not faking your death, you have many more options available. If you were dying right now, there would be no discussion, we could change you and just walk away from Forks. But changing you right now, well, I have some hesitation about doing it that way when there is a choice. We have to come up with a good plan."

_Bella, the way the pain is building, I'd take that option right now_…Edward's voice mirrored the way I was feeling. I took a glance at him and saw the strain on his face. To help get a bit more of skin on skin contact, I slipped one of my hands beneath his shirt and pressed my arm around his side, flat against his ribs. I also tucked my face into the curve of his neck.

Carlisle stopped before us, a look of compassion on his visage. He knew the stress that we were both feeling. A quick look at Jasper's face, and Alice's for that matter as she shared her mate's gift, showed me that the only reason we were still able to sit here with them, was because Jasper was keeping us in check.

"Please don't be embarrassed at my next comment, but I wondered if the barrier aspect of using a condom would keep you from falling into the mating frenzy. I'm sorry to say that I don't think it would provide enough of one and with operator error and the chance of it breaking, it's not worth taking the chance." I could feel the heat from Edward's blush in the silence that followed Carlisle's comment as if it were a roaring fire.

"Dude, Bella's _Dad_ is actually telling you that he thought you could get it on wearing a raincoat! Wicked!" Emmett's incredulous voice rang through the room.

"Emmett, where are your manners?" Esme's voice was shocked.

Edward was looking down at the floor, trying to will a hole to open and swallow him, so he didn't see Rosalie smack Emmett on the back of his head and glare at him for his comment.

He looked up when Emmett howled in pain. Rosalie had perfected that smack over the course of several decades of inane remarks from her husband.

"Emmett, please remember that if and when Edward is turned, he will be stronger than you and he will exact retribution from you for any and all things that you may say and do from this moment on." Rose was glaring at her husband. "And I am making notes so that he does not forget a single thing and he can demand reparation for each and every one of them from you while he is a very strong newborn. I will ask him to start by ripping off your…" She dropped into mental communication with Emmett. Whatever she said made a huge impression on him, because he looked shocked. At that moment I was very glad that I was not privy to their thoughts.

"You wouldn't really ask him to do that, would you, Rosie?" His eyes were wide as he gazed at his wife.

She looked him in the eyes and said simply, "Yes."

Emmett took a deep breath and said to Carlisle, "Go on, I won't say anything else."

"Thank you, Emmett. I think that we will all appreciate you keeping your comments to yourself right now." Carlisle turned back to us. "Turning you now would alleviate your immediate problem, but it would also bring a whole lot of trouble down upon us all. Bella has told you that the number one rule of Vampires is to keep the secret? And you are willing to do so?"

Edward nodded, that yes, I had told him that, and yes, he was willing to keep the secret.

Carlisle accepted his promise and continued, "Edward, what time will your parents expect you home tonight?"

Edward took in a deep breath, trying to focus on Carlisle's words. "We eat dinner at 7. I need to be home by 6:45," he said, his voice strained.

"Okay, that gives you about an hour and a half to find some…relief. And then we can talk again." At the word relief both Edward and I groaned just a little.

"Carlisle, I suggest we let them find some…relief…right now." Jasper's voice was nearly as stressed as I felt. "It's all I can do to keep their pain levels below _shattering_, and I think that's only because Edward is shielding them in some manner."

"We are going to go hunt, and give you some privacy." At Carlisle's words everyone but he and Jasper got up and left the room. "Bella…"

I peeked up at him from where I had my face tucked under Edward's chin. "You are going to have to keep some control in this situation. I suggest you _take turns_ finding _relief_…" My embarrassment at this state of affairs was long gone, replaced by overwhelming need and I nodded at him in understanding.

"We'll talk after we return. I have some ideas on how to keep you two in close proximity and that should help. We'll talk when we get back." Carlisle was already out the door.

"Bella, I won't let go of my control until I'm at the tree line, that should give you time to get upstairs," Jasper said then he was gone too.

_Bella…now_…Edward's voice was pained…_it hurts so bad…or is it good? I can't even tell anymore…_

_Come on love…let's get upstairs_…I stood and he didn't need any encouragement to get to his feet. Hand in hand we raced to the stairs and up.

We had reached my door when I felt Jasper begin to slowly release his control over our emotions. Not taking the time to set the door back on its hinges we flew towards the bed, stripping our shirts off as we went. It took all of my will power to keep my jeans on, but one of us had to keep our heads and it was going to have to be me.

Edward and I were suddenly out of the meadow; I was totally in his mind and he was in mine. Our combined need…and pain…and lust hit me like a tsunami and I dropped to my knees. Edward had just stripped his borrowed pants down and off when he turned and saw me kneeling on the floor.

In two huge strides he was standing before me in all of his naked glory, and he was magnificent. Muscled and toned, with a hint of summer tan still coloring his skin; he was breathtaking. He reached to help me up off the floor, but I stopped him. An idea was forming in my mind when I realized what our positions now were; me kneeling at his feet, him standing over me.

~888~

~888~

~888~

_Edward, love, wait…let me help you, let me help us.._.I glanced at his straining erection as I slipped my hands around his thighs and gently tugged him closer. _Come here…I've never… but I think that it might satisfy our need to be intimate…_

_Bella…I've never either…I mean, you can't…Wait…_His mind lost all coherency the moment that I slipped my lips over the tip of his cock. He tried to step backwards, stuttering out loud about how I couldn't--shouldn't--do this, but I held his legs firmly and took him deeper into my mouth. I ran my tongue along his length as I did so. _Bella…ah…that's…wait…what about your teeth?_

I saw the memory of my concerns about his tongue in my mouth that I had shared with him, of the venom mingling with his blood.

_Not to worry…I'll keep my lips over them…trust me, I don't want to harm this portion of your anatomy…I've got long term plans for it…and for you…Relax, love, I'll take care of you…I want you to hang on as long as you can…I know it's going to be hard…Shards, it is hard, you taste wonderful…_I found that I was having nearly as much trouble focusing my thoughts as he was. The feelings swirling through his mind were mingling with mine and the instinct to do more was barely being kept at bay by our current actions. The intimacy was helping the ache we both felt, but I wanted more…S_ince we can't have the other kind of penetration, this might just help us both. You _are_ inside me… I'll go slow_…_I've never done this before either_…_let me know if I do anything wrong…or right_…

Edward had woven his hands deeply into my hair and he was conflicted as to what he wanted to do. In the small portion of my brain that wasn't engulfed in the need to mate with him, I found some amusement in the fact that he was worried that this wasn't going to be enough for me. He thought he should be doing something more for me and, yet, my mouth on him felt so good that he never wanted me to stop.

_Please, Edward, just let me do this for you…doesn't it feel good to you? If you feel better, then so will I._ I felt a wonderful sense of freedom from the pain that had hammered us just minutes before as my mouth slowly moved up and down his length, savoring the taste and feel of him. _I certainly do feel better_…I couldn't help the moan that escaped me then and I felt him shiver in delight at the sensation. That encouraged me to repeat the sound again.

He gave in at that moment because he felt the respite that such intimate contact brought him too. I felt acquiescence in his mind as he gave himself over to me completely. His fingers twined tightly in my hair and his hands guided my head into a steady rhythm…_It's not going to take me long, my Lady…so good…ahhhh_…

His mind flooded with ecstasy as the first wave of his orgasm built inside him, causing his back to arch as he pushed himself closer to that edge.

Sharing the feelings of his imminent release through our mental connection, and the massive amount of skin on skin contact we shared, triggered my own intense emotions. Grasping his thighs tighter, I groaned around his shaft as he pushed deeper into my throat, filling it completely. I swallowed and immediately felt him experience the movement through our intimate bond.

_We can take more time…next time_… I thought just as he thrust one more time and ejaculated into my mouth, the warmth of his seed spilling down my throat. Our minds were blended so closely that it was hard to tell where I ended and he began. My groan as I felt his feelings compounded our sensations and we both fell deeply into a mutual orgasm.

Finally releasing him when the tremors slowed in his body, and in mine too, I leaned back and looked up into the gorgeous face of my mate. After throwing his head back during his release he had then curled forward, leaning over me, his hands sliding one to the nape of my neck and the other down to my shoulder blade, holding me tightly as I rested my face against his thigh.

~888~

~888~

~888~

_Come, love, I need to feel you in my arms_…his voice was quiet and much calmer in my mind, reflecting my own mood. I stood and he led us to my bed. We moved into the middle of the soft expanse, holding on to each other tightly, arms and legs twining around the other. _You came too_…_even without me touching you. _

_Oh, love, you were touching me_…I laughed softly as I burrowed my body closer to his…_Very intimately as I recall_…

_I kind of think I should be embarrassed, but I love you and it felt so good_…Edward brought his hand up and he cupped my face and kissed me gently. _You said you hadn't done any of this kind of thing before either?_

_I do recall a kiss when I was sixteen, before I was changed. But it wasn't that great...in fact, it was wet and I remember wondering what the big deal was_…_I can't even remember what his name was…not all of our memories come with us through the change._ I could hear his satisfaction over that fact. _Your kisses, on the other hand, I will never be able to forget._

_Well, why don't we share a few more, just so you have plenty to remember_…his lips came to mine…_Can I touch you while we kiss?_

_Oh, Edward, your life has been changed in so many ways today…finding out you have a mate who is also a vampire, one who can read your mind and that now you can hear the mind of everyone around you…finding out that you don't just want sex, but _need _it at an almost molecular level or you'll be in excruciating pain…and you _ask_ if you can touch me?_ I wrapped my arms around him tightly. _Darling, touch me in any way you want._

Pulling back just a little, he grinned down at me…_It would be my pleasure, love_. And so began our third round of connecting…

…**Edward…**

Bella was right; this had been a day full of extraordinary changes for me. I was having a hard time wrapping my mind around the fact that she was in my life, that she now was my life.

This isn't the way that I thought it would be, that my mate, wife, lover would appear like a bolt out of the blue. I had always thought there were steps to a relationship: graduate high school, go to college, meet a nice girl, get to know her, introduce her to the parents, get engaged and then get married. It seemed like a traditional progression.

As I breathed Bella's scent deeply into my lungs I knew that even though this was not routine or traditional, it was right. Nothing that made me feel this good, this loved, this warm, this happy, could be wrong. I knew that she felt the same. This was the way it had to be for us.

And here she was, wrapped around my body, caressing me, loving me, letting me share her thoughts and filling me with love. Amazing wasn't a big enough word to describe what this day had been like, what my life had just begun to be about.

_We can lie here for another fifteen minutes and then we need to get dressed…again. The family will be back in twenty. Hopefully Carlisle will have come up with a plan_. Bella looked up into my face while she continued to trace designs down and across my back with her cool hand. Her touch soothed the ache that still wasn't totally gone. But it was so much better than it had been.

"I find myself debating this question in my mind: Why don't we just give in? Make love, become permanently mated, change you and go on with our vampiric lives. We could be having wild monkey sex, making sweet soft love all the time, breaking the headboards and biting pillows." She tucked her body even closer to mine, well as close as she could while still wearing her jeans.

"Have you come up with an answer to the question of _why not_?" I asked as I drew invisible designs on her back too, just enjoying the sensation of touching her.

"Yes, I have. It's because I want it all for you. I want you to be able to stay with your family for as long as you can; I want you to be able to go to school and get whatever degree you want; and most importantly, at least to me, I want to be right beside you while you do all of that."

I started to interrupt her, to tell her that a lot of that stuff didn't matter to me, but she placed her cool fingertips on my lips and continued in my mind.

_I want it all for you, okay? I want you to have it all… Let's just cuddle for a few more minutes and then we can see what Carlisle has come up with._ She slid her hand up to the nape of my neck and wove her fingers into my hair. It felt so good and all I could do was agree with her.

We lay there for the next several minutes, gentle thoughts running through both our minds. It was hard to see where my thoughts and hers began and ended, it was a wonderful blending of us both and incredibly soothing.

* * *

A/N…Okay, I was going to end this here…plus an epilogue, but Tosha, **u2shay** (author of **THAT GIRL**) had some suggestions that were really funny…so, I'm adding Chapter SIX next Monday…and then the epilogue…hope no one minds.

Kris, **kejce**, added a bit of *flesh* to my lemon…thanks so much, Sweets!

Thanks for reading, reviewing and all the alerts and favorites…I love opening my e-mail!

Kathie


	6. Chapter 6

A/N…Welcome to the bonus chapter! Only the epilogue after this one…then I'm going to devote some time to DRAGON STONES…ShayTan is nagging me…LOL

* * *

…**Chapter Six…**

…**Bella…**

Edward was asleep, his head resting on my chest, his right arm holding me firmly against him, his hand once again cupping my shoulder blade. I could hear his thoughts as he settled in REM sleep in the middle of his comfortable bed. There was a thread of me throughout his dreams.

I touched his parents' minds and they were deeply asleep also. I relaxed further into Edward's pillows and thought back over the evening…

**~!~!~!~**

While we waited on the loveseat for the family to arrive, feeling a lot more at ease after our time together, I asked Edward to think about the meadow. Once again we were holding hands, walking in the quiet ambiance of the flower filled area. I didn't even hear them approaching the house.

Yes, we would have to do more testing on this talent that Edward had. What a strong gift for a human to have. I asked and he released me when Carlisle started speaking, although he stayed inside to keep their voices out of his head.

Since Edward had to be home soon, Carlisle had suggested that there were a couple of things that we could do right away to make things easier on us. He would continue to refine the plan over the next few days. He was sure that he could come up with a protocol for us to use that would buy us time until Edward was at least eighteen.

Edward and I had both agreed with Carlisle that we needed time to adjust to everything and to get his affairs in order. Since the thought of faking his death was not one any of us were happy with, we would just have to take the time for Edward's family to get to know me, to realize that I wasn't just stealing their son and ruining his life.

But we also needed to spend a lot of time together, skin to skin, if we were going to be able to keep the mating imperative at bay until Edward was older. He'd be able to make his own legal decisions then. He also wasn't thrilled with the prospect of looking like a seventeen year old for eternity. I told him that it didn't matter to me. I thought he was handsome and it wasn't like I looked thirty, although I did think that I'd need to punish him for that _cougar_ comment. In order to not remain a high school student forever, it would be helpful if we could wait long enough for him to physically mature a bit more. He understood that thought process and agreed with it.

Carlisle's first suggestion was that I join Edward in his bed each night, arriving after his parents were asleep; then slipping out before they got up each morning. Edward's parents had the master bedroom on the main floor and his bedroom was on the upper floor, on the opposite side of the house. It faced the woods and he had a balcony, which would make my comings and goings much easier to facilitate.

His parents didn't come to check on him at night. It was one of the perks of being a good son and never having been in trouble before. If they did head to his room at any point, I'd hear them coming and I could slip away before they reached the door.

At this point in our conversation, Alice had stepped forward with several bags from a store in Port Angeles. She had not gone hunting game, but hunting for something for us to sleep in. She was pleased to show Edward the many pairs of boardshorts that she had found for him to wear as sleep pants. For me she had an assortment of yoga pants, in a veritable rainbow of colors.

Most of them had sayings across the seat: "Juicy"; "Yummy"; "Tight"; "You Wish". It was a good thing that I couldn't blush. But that didn't stop Edward from blushing when she suggested he could wear the boardshorts one night, and I could wear the yoga pants the next.

I looked at Emmett, wondering if he was going to say anything either out loud or in his mind, but all he did was look at Rosalie. She smiled her approval, but when she looked away I heard him think, _Ha, she'll forget about that soon. Man, who is going to wear the pants in that mating?_

I glared at him and he just smiled his cheeky grin and thought,_ Hey, this is going to be blast, having the two of you around all the time. Let the sexy times roll! This is going to be great for Rosie and me…Jasper isn't going to be able to keep a lid on the lust you two are going to be spewing all the time._

Rolling my eyes I had focused back on Carlisle. "Esme will meet you at the school office tomorrow and she'll have Bella moved into all of your classes, Edward. Except the one with Jasper, we might as well leave that one alone. You'll be able to hold hands with Bella and be together during school that way."

"How much togetherness are they going to be able to get away with in school? Are they going to be ducking into the janitor closet between classes? Are you going to write a doctor's note giving them permission?" Emmett asked. Rosalie gave him _that_ look and he quieted down. I think he was still at least partially afraid of what she would have Edward rip off of him if he took the teasing too far, at least the verbal teasing. He was going to have a lot of fun speaking in my mind. I should remind him that Edward was going to be able to hear him easily--soon--and if he wanted to keep all of his body parts together, he should keep himself in check.

Carlisle didn't address Emmett's last two questions, but did the first. "I think that if Bella and Edward are able to be together all night long, with skin to skin contact, it should give them a well to draw from for the times that they are not together and touching. That, along with hand holding during the school hours, should be able to give them enough togetherness to give us time for Edward's family to accept Bella into their lives. It will also give Edward time to physically mature a little more and to reach his eighteenth birthday." Carlisle paused to consider his words.

"This will be hard on you both. The mating imperative is strong once our mates are found. But, if you can hold on for another eight months, it will be very helpful for the rest of your lives. It will also prepare you for making the change, if you choose to do so. That's not a given, and it's not a decision you have to make right now. We do have time for that." Carlisle's face lit up as he continued, "Now, this meadow phenomenon, I would love to be able to look into that a lot more. Edward, you are in there now, correct?"

"Yes, I am. Your mental voices are way too loud right now. Bella says she's learned some tricks to keep the roar down, but I'm actually really good right here." He paused and looked at Carlisle, a look of concentration on his face.

Carlisle's face registered shock, just as I realized that I couldn't hear him anymore. "What? Oh my...I'm in here with you!"

Esme was startled. "I can't hear Carlisle anymore…" Her face showed surprise when she and I both found ourselves standing in the meadow, holding our mates' hands.

_Edward, this is magnificent._ Carlisle's eyes were darting here and there as Esme clutched his hand, also taking a good look at the flowers and the brook.

I could hear all three of them, but not those left in the living room. There was a small crease in Edward's forehead as I realized the amount of energy this was taking from him. _Let us back out, Edward._

When the three of us were back outside of the meadow, the smile on Carlisle's face was almost as bright as the sun we had seen shining there. He loved to find new things for his scientific mind to explore.

Edward looked a bit peaked, and I held his hand tighter.

"Edward, that took a lot out of you. I think you are going to have to work up to bringing so many into the meadow with you. Do you feel drained at all with just yourself in there?" Carlisle asked.

"No, now that I know how to get here, it's doesn't seem to take much effort. When it was just Bella here with me, it was easy too. But bringing you and Esme in took a lot more energy." He leaned back into the loveseat and I could hear how tired he was.

"We have plenty of time to study this gift of yours. Right now it's time for you to head home. I work the midnight shift at the hospital, so maybe after school this week we could work with this more." Edward nodded his approval of that idea.

"So, Bella will join you when you retire each night, she'll share classes with you during school hours. You could take turns driving to and from school which will give you even more time together. I hear Bella is joining the debate team." Carlisle smiled at me in endorsement of the idea. "The meetings are only once a week until after Christmas, I believe. Also, you might want to mention that you've met a girl to your parents, talk her up a bit. Then maybe by the weekend she could meet them. She'll invite you here to meet her parents too. We don't have to tell them that you've already met us." We all laughed at that.

"We'll refine the plan as things need to change. For now, you need to get home. You don't want to get in trouble." He reached out and shook Edward's hand as we stood. "We can make this work, son."

Jasper suggested that I go hunt. He could feel how finely drawn I was becoming. Neither one of us was worried about the blood lust, but the state of arousal and the focus of need were wearing on me.

I walked Edward towards the door as everyone shouted out their goodbyes. Esme came and hugged him. "Have faith, Edward, this will work out. Welcome to the family." She gave him a kiss on the cheek and we went out to his motorcycle.

"I'm going to hunt and then I'll meet you in your room." I had my arms around his waist and he was holding me like he was never going to let me go. He was holding me in his meadow too.

_I feel pretty good right now, but it scares me to think that you are not going to be right next to me for the next couple of hours…_his thoughts were still calm, but I could see the edge starting to form.

_Just remember, it will only be two hours. I think our loving earlier is going to be, as Carlisle said, a well for us to draw strength from. When you are away from the house, and everyone else's thoughts, come out of the meadow…you'll be able to hear me…probably more clearly when I am near your house. That should help, having that mental connection. I don't know when the connection will be able to reach out over miles, but I won't be far tonight anyway. Now, go, don't be late for dinner. Do unlock your deck door and I'll be there waiting when you are done eating. _I gave him a last firm hug and stepped back.

_I love you, Edward…_

_I love you, Bella…I'll see you soon…_

He started the bike and was soon gone. I felt the tug begin anew, but it was manageable. When he reached the road he came out of the meadow and I could feel the link to his mind again. It was a soft whisper, filled with love.

I looked up as Jasper joined me. "Let's go hunt. You need it. Alice will meet us at his house with the sleep pants, and she has a gift for the two of you."

I rolled my eyes. "Should I be scared?"

"No," he said laughing, "You'll like it." They were both shielding their thoughts so I couldn't catch what the gift was. They really had become quite adept at that over the past twenty-three years.

"Okay, let's go. The sooner I hunt, the sooner I can be waiting in his room." We decided to go for the easy meal and I quickly drained two mule deer. He only took one as he had already taken one earlier while they were giving us privacy.

The soft connection between Edward and I was soothing. He kept checking to make sure that we still were linked as he ate his dinner. I wondered if he could hear his parents' thoughts and asked him. After a moment he said a very surprised no.

_It will be interesting to see if you can when I'm closer…I'll be there soon. Did you unlock your door? _I asked him.

_Yes, I did…and left the light on for you too. I'm almost done eating; I'll do the dishes for mom. Then I'll be up. Where are you now? _He asked as I saw him gathering the dishes and making small talk with his folks. Edward was getting pretty good at the double tasking, talking both to me and to his family.

_Jasper and I are just over the ridge east of you. Alice is waiting at the tree line behind your house. She has a surprise for us; I'm told that I shouldn't worry…That we'll both enjoy it. How are you feeling? I'm beginning to feel the pull just a bit._

Edward took stock as he rinsed the dishes and placed them in the dishwasher_. It's not bad yet. I think that the intense time we spent this afternoon in your bedroom helped a lot. _

His mind quickly flipped through some of the highlights of the time we spent together earlier. I found myself running ahead of Jasper as those memories reignited the fire that was only banked slightly. I was ready to get to him, to touch him…

_I'll be in your room in about five minutes…_

_And I'll be up there in ten…_

When we reached her, Alice handed me a large bag from Bed, Bath & Beyond. "A gift for the two of you."

"What is it?" I asked we stood below the deck outside of Edward's room. The bag felt heavy.

Alice smiled as she said, "It's an electric mattress pad with dual controls and an electric blanket, also with dual controls. You can remake his bed, and keep your side toasty hot. That way Edward won't freeze sleeping with you." I could hear Jasper snickering where he stood in the trees.

"Alice, you are brilliant!" I took the bag and hugged her. "Where are the sleep pants?"

"I left them on the deck when I took a peek inside his room. I wanted to see where you are going to be spending a lot of your time for the foreseeable future, even though I have already seen the future." She laughed as she hugged me back and then headed into the trees to where Jasper waited for her. Their thoughts were already settling on ways to relieve the sexual tension that they had been swamped in all evening.

Edward had heard bits of our exchange, and he called a goodbye through me for them. _An electric blanket? A heated mattress pad? Alice is brilliant…tell her I said so. I'll be up in a couple of minutes. Mom wants to talk about something. By the way, once you were near the house, I could actually hear them a little. Probably it's your proximity that triggers your gift in me. We'll have to test that out too. _

_I'll tell Alice and get these on the bed. That is interesting about hearing your family's thoughts. I'll see you soon. _I passed the messages to Alice and turned to look up at his room. The windows, with the light shining, looked warm and to Edward's deck took no effort at all and his door slid open quietly. I looked around as I stepped inside, pulling the door closed behind me. He had a king sized bed covered in a black comforter. The walls were dark gold with several posters mounted in black frames. One was of his motorcycle, a red Honda CB – 600 Hornet. Another one was of a red 1953 Chevrolet Pickup Truck. Apparently what his beater truck could look like. There was also a framed photo of his debate team holding a trophy and one with him standing with his parents.

One entire wall was shelves filled with books and CD's. A nice stereo system took up one shelf and I could see the speakers in all four corners of the room. A desk with a laptop was on another wall.

I had the bed stripped and the mattress pad installed and the bed remade in no time. I set the dials as high as they could go for now, but only on what would be my side of the bed. I could tell he slept on the right side; his scent was heavier there. Thinking ahead, I placed a damp washcloth and a dry one from the cabinet in the bathroom on the side table. I was pretty sure we'd need them later.

Ripping the tags off of his new pants, I found space for them in one of his drawers. I didn't think it would be a good idea to put my stack in with his. The thought of his mother's face if she found an assortment of yoga pants in his room made me laugh just a little.

He heard that and chuckled quietly as he stepped into the room. I was in his arms the second the door closed. It had only been one hour and forty-seven minutes since we had touched, but that had seemed to be a lifetime. Long sighs of relief left both of us as we tucked our faces into each other's necks.

_So, you think I might have a hard time explaining to my Mom just why I have a pair of hot pink yoga pants with the word JUICY written across the seat?_ He asked as he nuzzled my ear.

_She might think that you have some explaining to do, that's for sure! I can always bring a pair with me each night…_I was doing some nuzzling of my own. I loved running my lips along his jaw, feeling the bit of stubble there.

_Wait, this should work_. Pulling me along with him, he stepped into the walk-in closet and reached for a plastic box on one of the shelves. It was empty. _You can put yours in here and I'll just set it on the shelf there. Mom won't even bother looking here._

He drew me back into the bedroom and pulled me to his chest. I slid my hands beneath his shirt and caressed his smooth back. Another sigh left us both at the contact.

_I hate having to lie to your folks, even if it is a lie of omission. But we can't tell them my true nature and the fact that we are now mates. I'm also thinking that telling them that we'd really like to go off and have sex for a year--or three--wouldn't make them happy. _Edward had slipped his hands under my shirt by this point and he was running his fingertips up and down my spine. _We need to do our homework and then we can get closer. I think I might have enough control to last until then, if we hurry. _I leaned back to look into his face, which gave him the opportunity to kiss me.

Several long minutes later we leaned away from each other and he picked up his backpack, removing the books. We sat on the floor, our thighs touching, and finished the work in record time. Edward closed the math book and we sat up.

_Why don't you shower and I'll change. I could get under the heated blankets and wait for you?_ Edward's eyes darkened at the thought. Standing, he grabbed the pair of the shorts that I had left on his bed and went into his bathroom. He didn't close the door and I could see him in the mirror stripping out of his borrowed jeans and stepping into the shower. The steam magnified his scent again and I breathed in deeply. I'd never tire of that.

_Enjoy the show?_ His voice was teasing, but I could hear the strain beginning in his mind. It was a mirror image of what was happening in mine too.

_Yes, very much. So, who gets to wear the pants tonight? _I showed him a picture of me, topless, wearing the JUICY ones, bent over picking up our school books. The growl that came from the bathroom made me wet and I groaned in response. I didn't have time to get under the covers as the shower cut off and he was out the door, a towel slung around his hips, water dripping down his chest. His shorts were forgotten on the counter.

_Bed…now…_He didn't need to ask twice as we both dove for the covers. My side of the bed was scorching, but we didn't need the heat right then, we were making enough together.

His towel was lost in our scramble to the bed and I enjoyed the feeling of his hot skin beneath my palms as I ran them from his shoulders and down over his back to his hips…then on to his ass. I squeezed his cheeks firmly and he groaned into my mouth. That in turn caused me to thrust my hips up to meet his. His erection was already straining against my hip and I spread my legs to allow him closer.

Our bodies were touching from shoulder to ankles and it felt so good. His weight holding me down to the firm mattress was heavenly, only topped by the feel of his lips against mine. He had his hands tangled in my hair, turning my face so that he could get the best angle to kiss me. Sucking my upper lip into his mouth caused another wave of arousal to pour from me and I sucked his lower lip, carefully, between my lips.

Edward situated himself firmly between my thighs. We started moving together in a dance as old as time. Pushing into each other…stroking tongues and roaming hands filled my mind with want. Our mental connection drove our touches, leading me to hike my leg over his hip. The soft material of my pants felt good against his naked skin as he thrust gently against me.

_Not as good as your hand or mouth, but this position is feeding something in me, feeling you move beneath me, giving back, taking…_His mind was full of emotions as our thrusts became stronger.

I hitched my other leg over his waist, spreading my legs wider and then he was rubbing against the very spot that I needed…_Yes, right there Edward…_

He complied with my request and pushed harder against me. The explosion in my core was amplified as his orgasm hit and we both tumbled over the cliff, gasping and holding each other tightly.

Coming back down from the high took us a while. He had tucked his face into my neck, trying not to make too much noise and he rested there, just breathing deeply for several moments. I was glad that I didn't need to breathe so that he didn't need to move his weight off my body.

Eventually, with a sigh, Edward rolled off of me and I reached to get the damp cloth that I had left on the table.

_You thought of everything…_

_Well, I try…_I tossed the used cloth towards his laundry basket and rolled onto my side of the bed, the heat reaching out to me. _I don't want you to get cold while you sleep…whenever you feel chilled, I'll get toasty for you again._

Edward tucked the covers around me and then got up to turn off the light. He didn't lock the door as he knew that I'd be his early alert system. Coming back to bed he pulled my blanket wrapped body close to his, kissing my cheeks and then my lips.

_I love you, Bella, I don't think that I'll ever get used to just how wonderful being with you, loving you is._ His eyes were so dark and the smile that graced his beautiful face caused my unbeating heart to clench.

_Oh, Edward, I love you so much._ Our kisses were soft and sweet, the mating imperative appeased for now. This was going to be hard, but if we could keep this level of intimacy up, the quality of our immortal lives would be improved.

Eight months wasn't that long, really…as long as we could be close like this. And with lifetimes ahead of us, we would make it work.

**~!~!~!~**

* * *

A/N…the Epilogue will be up next week. Yes, this was mainly an exercise in limes…with a bit of plot thrown in. Hope that you are enjoying it and stop back by for the epilogue. Reviews make me happy and I thank each and every one of you who have shared with me...

Thanks so much Yuri and hubby for giving me a BIKE to look at...http: //motoprofi. com/bikephoto /414/honda_cb_600_f_hornet_1998_2. jpg take the spaces out to see Edward's bike.

Kathie


	7. Edward Side Shot

My good friend, **LJ Summers**, an extraordinary writer, has written a side-shot for **IMMERSION**.

Title: **I Kissed Edward Masen  
**  
Category: Twilight  
Character(s): Edward

Words: 1,998  
Genre(s): General  
Rating: Rated: T

Summary: A side-shot by invitation for Katmom's story IMMERSION, this is a  
brief moment in the lives of a couple of geeky teens who kiss each other for  
the first time... And find it was not what they were hoping it might be!

You can find the story here, by taking out the spaces:

http: //www. fanfiction. net/s/5489641/1/

* * *

Here's a preview:

**Edward's crooked smile flashed warmly in the dark confines of my Toyota. "Dad had a work dinner and Mom's with him. That's why they couldn't pick me up at the diner. So I guess," he said, reaching a cautious hand forward, "the timing couldn't be better..."**

**"You've been watching too many humorous interpretation speakers," I muttered, my heart thundering inside my chest.**

**"Not me," he demurred. "Just you, Sandi. So, if I can't run a tab, would you maybe take something else in payment for the ride?"**

* * *

Once you are done with I KISSED EDWARD MASEN do check out her other work...you'll love it!

Kathie


	8. Lauren Side Shot

My good friend, **Kris (kejce)** who is an extraordinary writer, has written a Side Shot for **IMMERSION**.

Title: **Delusions of Grandeur**  
Category: Twilight  
POV: Lauren  
Words: 3954

Genre(s): General  
Rating: Rated: M

Summary: A side-shot written by invitation for Katmom's Immersion.

Lauren and Jessica start their junior year with a new object of interest - Edward.

You can find the story here, by taking out the spaces:

http: //www. fanfiction. net/s/5508360/1/#

Here's a preview:

**Heading over to introduce myself, I smiled. No one else was around him. I could claim him as mine and no one could say otherwise. This was starting out as a wonderful year. I leaned against the lockers nearest his.**

**"Hi," I said as he turned toward me. My eyes widened as I took in the familiar face and green eyes of one of the "Nerd Herd." My jaw dropped and it took me all of a moment to recover. Giving Edward one of my signature seductive smiles, I placed my hand on his arm.**

* * *

Once you are done with **DELUSIONS OF GRANDEUR** please do check out her other work...you'll love it!


	9. Epilogue

**June 26, 2010 EDITING TO ADD THIS NOTE:**

**THE FANDOM GIVES BACK AUCTION IS STARTING THIS EVENING...and I am offering an outtake from any of my current stories: **

**GUARDING EDWARD http:/www. fanfiction. net/s/4823993/1/ Guarding_Edward**

**IMMERSION http:/www. fanfiction. net/s/5434313/1/ Immersion**

**DRAGON STONES http:/www. fanfiction. net/s/5287790/1/ Dragon_Stones**

**KNIGHTS OF HONOR http:/www. fanfiction. net/s/5203210/1/K nights_of_Honor **

**K'DIN, BRONZE MEERTANTH'S RIDER http:/www. fanfiction. net/s/5838342/1/ Kdin_Bronze_Meertanths_Rider**

**You all know that I'm _Chatty Kathie_, so the outtake will be at least 3k long.**

**This is the link to the actual auction, take out the spaces to make any and all links work: http:/ www. thefandomgivesback. com/item. php?id=483**

**And this is the link to the AUCTION DISCUSSION thread: http: /www. thefandomgivesback.c om/forum/viewtopic. php?f=13&t=81**

**If there's a missing moment...or a past moment or a future moment that you'd like to read...come and bid on me, and I'll write it for the winning bid.**

**Now, back to the story! **

Esme is going to talk about a fan fiction story in this chapter. The fantastic fic I'm referring to is _**THE LIST**_, by LauraACullen, http: /www. fanfiction. net/s/4934524/1/The_List (take out the spaces to make the link work) There is a lemon in this epilogue...but it is a mild one according to some standards.

* * *

…**Epilogue…**

…**Six Years Later…**

…**Edward…**

The storm was building over the mountains of Colorado. Bella leaned back against my chest as we watched the black clouds roll in. Alice had told us that this storm would be spectacular, so the family gathered on a mountain peak north of Breckenridge to watch. Besides the visual pleasure we derived from the display, we enjoyed the side effects of the atmospheric upheaval from such a huge storm. It enhanced our vampiric senses and the tingle of the electricity as it discharged in sheet lightning made our skin prickle in a very delightful way.

No one needed to say it, but we all knew that as the storm raged we'd be pairing off to hunt and find release with our mates. In fact, when Alice had mentioned the storm she had called it "Dinner and a show…with dessert."

As the storm built around us, I thought back over the last several years. My life had changed so much on that fall day, six years ago; the day that Bella Cullen's scent had first claimed my attention just before she claimed my heart.

**…**

**~~!~!~!~~**

**…**

It had been hard keeping the mating imperative at bay when everything in our bodies cried out to become one. We had spent every night together, either at my place or at hers, and that did help. The intimate moments that we shared and the hours spent skin to skin appeased our urges to some extent.

The fact that my parents fell in love with her almost immediately was helpful too. I had started talking her up the day after we met, telling them what a wonderful girl she was, so smart and pretty, and that I was taking her out on Friday night. We did go out, to a movie and then I came home. After telling them what a good time I had, I went to my bed…to sleep in Bella's arms.

Of course, they didn't know anything about that, but they saw how happy I was and that my grades were still stellar, so they didn't worry. After our fifth official date in two weeks, not counting all the study dates we had shared while they weren't home, Mom had me invite her over for Sunday dinner. I proffered the invitation to her while we sat with her family watching Buffy reruns. Who knew that vampires would find that show so amusing?

Emmett had laughed and asked, "So, what is Ma serving for Bella to hack up later? That reminds me, does she have to hack up your c-"

Rosalie didn't even hesitate as she smacked him on the back of the head.

I remembered that I had felt shocked. I hadn't even considered that she'd have to do that. Turning to her I asked, "Wait, do you have to do that?"

She had turned to me with a soft loving smile on her face and said, "It's worth it each and every time." That had shut Emmett up.

That first dinner with my folks had been interesting. We had already discovered that I could only read other minds when she was near me. I was grateful, as the few lustful thoughts that I had seen in my parents' minds were more than enough. At that point I could slip into the meadow at will, and I certainly did so to avoid more time listening to their thoughts.

Mom had served baked chicken; new potatoes; fresh green beans and a three layer chocolate cake for dessert; all things that I loved. Bella had been a real trooper, eating her portion with grace. I had tried not to think about her having to make it come back up later.

The conversation had flowed well. And laughter had been the theme of the evening. Bella had been enthralled listening to stories of me as a youngster. It was all I could do to keep mom from bringing out the baby albums. I finally convinced her to hold off until much later in our relationship.

When we had left the house later, so I could return Bella to her home, Mom had pulled me aside and said that she approved and that Dad did too.

Their support of our relationship had made things so much easier on us both.

That very first morning, waking in Bella's arms had been amazing. A glance at the clock showed that I had an hour before I would have to start to get ready to leave. Being so close to Bella had allowed me to tune in to her gift. I could hear my parents' dreams. That was weird. After a moment I brought the two of us into the meadow. That was going to make my life so much easier, and Bella said it would improve her life too. She was looking forward to having a break from all the thoughts of those around her.

My mind was wandering through the flowers, holding her hand as we enjoyed the sunshine, when I realized that her hands were physically wandering on my skin. I was still naked and she was still wearing her soft yoga pants. We spent the next hour caressing each inch of exposed skin, sharing kisses and trying to immerse ourselves in each other.

It was a wonderful way to waken and set up a routine that we followed for the next two years.

Bella had run home to change while I got ready for school that first day. I drove my truck to school and she and Esme were waiting next to a black Mercedes when I arrived. I parked next to them, my eyes on Bella's as I got out and slammed the truck door. She met me and I ducked my head into her neck, breathing in her wonderful aroma for a moment. She tilted her face into the curve of my shoulder, also taking in deep hits of my scent. I heard the gasps from the students watching us.

Esme's thoughts were overjoyed. She loved seeing us this way. Just as I realized that I could _hear_ Esme, on my own and not through Bella, I had also heard the mental voices of the students. That was it, I took myself into the meadow and Bella joined me there. She said later that it as the best day of school that she had ever had.

We had only been apart for an hour at that point, and after the night spent together, the time away from each hadn't been too bad. We'd test ourselves to see how long we could go without the pain coming back. We both acknowledged that we'd never want it to be for long amounts of time.

Esme got Bella transferred into my classes and we went about our day, holding hands and sneaking in kisses. The students came to accept our togetherness and our ritual greeting without comment after just a few days. I didn't care what they thought though. I just kept that part of me that could hear them in the meadow and ignored them.

The team was pleased for me. They liked Bella's sense of humor, her dry wit and her smarts. Sandi gave me a look that said, "I told you so."

I wasn't sure about asking her to join the Debate team. I felt that with her gift, and now with mine, that we'd be cheating, since we could hear the strategies of the other teams. I could have kept us in the meadow, but I didn't want the temptation.

After some discussion between the team and us, we decided to become the support division for them. We'd do research and act as practice debaters for the active members. We helped them hone their skills and they excelled throughout the year. Gary had been named Captain after Sandi moved. She had qualified for State and would be flying back in the spring to attend the big event.

In addition to Bella being welcomed by my friends, her family was too. Our table was filled at lunch with the team and the Cullens. The student body just couldn't get over it. The gorgeous new kids had joined the geeks. A couple of times a few of the popular kids had tried to join us, but a cutting remark from Rosalie on the state of Jessica's clothes and about the smell exuding from Mike had put a stop to that.

That was good, because I had listened to Mike's mind at one point and I would have had to kill him if I couldn't be in the meadow. He wasn't subtle about taking Bella's clothes off in his mind…along with Alice and Rosalie's. For a minute I thought about telling Jasper and Emmett about his fantasies, then sitting back and watching the show, but decided that he wasn't worth it.

After a couple of weeks, I noticed that some other couples in the school would also greet their other half the way we did. The first one I noticed, in particular, was the freshman that Bella had "sneezed" on. He greeted the girl that had come to his rescue the same way. She still glared at Bella when they passed in the hallway. We would both laugh quietly.

Having an extended family was interesting. I had been an only child, with the Debate team as a surrogate extended family, but having the Cullens in my life sometimes left me speechless-and often an uncontrollable shade of red.

Emmett was a riot. He lived to make me blush, and since Bella and I were almost constantly walking the fine line of "we have to, no we can't," he had plenty of source material.

He was also constantly being reminded that I was fragile. The first time someone took him to task for approaching me too roughly I had felt a bit babied. But that was before he had bruised my ribs!

Jasper and I had the best conversations about history. We'd sit through our class in school and he'd whisper that he'd tell me what _really_ happened later. That was a blast.

Of course, there was a drawback to being in the class with only Jasper. The girls in there hit on him, and on me, every chance they got. I guess my being with Bella had added some kind of cachet to my standing and I found girls trying to get near me all the time. Well, all the time when Bella wasn't standing right there with me.

I loved her subtle vampire vibe, she didn't scare me, but the girls were always wigged out when she was standing near them. It could have been the nearly subliminal growls she gave off when she saw them flirting with me, or worse, touching my arm. We weren't far apart most of the time and that was very good.

A lot of the flirting had stopped after the Halloween Party. Bella, Alice and Rosalie had taken care of it then. Certainly one of my fonder human memories and I was glad that it had come through my change with me. Having the video evidence had helped keep that particular memory nice and clear.

**…**

**~~!~!~!~~**

**…**

I could hear Bella all the time after knowing her for just three days. Most of the time we just kept a soft touch on each other; just enjoying the feeling of our connection. We had found that we could "keep secrets" from each other, but talking directly was such a pleasure. We could contact each other even when we were miles apart.

By entering the meadow, I could keep Bella mostly out. She could still feel our connection, but not get a read on my exact thoughts. When she was with me in the meadow she could hear me clearly. I could also hear anyone who was inside with me.

Being connected mentally all the time made Bella's hunting trips easier on both of us. Our touch helped us to stay sane. She also only went immediately after we had an intimate connection.

I was fascinated by her mind when she hunted. It was so feral and totally _Wild Kingdom_. She would hurry back to me afterwards and the intensity of our connection, even without going all the way, would rock the rafters. Jasper would have to leave, taking Alice with him, to get away from the levels of lust we'd be broadcasting.

Carlisle and I were anxious to find out about my meadow and how it worked. It was effortless for me to get inside and easy for me to bring Bella in also. I couldn't hear the mental meanderings of everyone around me when I was there, and neither could Bella. We had found out early on that if I wasn't in close proximity with her, I couldn't hear anyone else. Carlisle had theorized that when I became a vampire, and Bella's immortal mate, I would take on at least some aspects of her gift.

Starting the first week, we'd hurry to her place, or mine, right after school. We'd spend an hour or so immersing ourselves in each other. Considering we were both virgins, our learning curve was high and our sessions were very satisfying. Emmett enjoyed teasing us that we were making an art out of dry humping. Whatever…it worked for us, over and over again.

After our connection time, we'd research my meadow with Carlisle. It soon became natural for me to step into the glade whenever the other voices in my mind got too loud. Bella enjoyed being in there with me, having the respite from hearing her family and the people at school. I was intrigued that I could be in the meadow, but still able to function within _real time_, for want of a better phrase. Bella said that vampires could compartmentalize many threads of thoughts at one time. I had seen that the first time I encountered them all, when I nearly got lost in their seven combined minds. Carlisle was very impressed that as a human I could find that balance too. Well, at least I could balance two portions, the meadow and real time.

One afternoon shortly after we met, there was a huge thunderstorm approaching Forks. Emmett had told me that storms like that usually got everyone hot and bothered; he liked sharing those details with me. After hearing that, I was looking forward to some quality time spent with a storm-horny Bella.

The family had meant to leave the house to find some privacy, but the storm came up faster than Alice had anticipated. She rolled her eyes when Emmett called her on it and said she was only 98% accurate in her predictions. I wasn't feeling any effects from the tempest, but everyone around me had gotten really antsy. I stepped out of my meadow to see what was going in everyone's minds. Yes, I was sort of wondering what antics they were going to be getting up to; I am seventeen years old, after all. Immediately upon hearing their mental voices, I could see that Jasper was going to let loose a tremendous spike of lust; he was striving to contain it but it was getting away from him because of the all the input from those around him. Without thinking, I yanked him into the meadow just before he came unglued.

Jasper was shocked to find himself in the peaceful glade. A huge smile filled his face when he realized that the only emotions he was feeling were his own, and mine. And I was calm, not disturbed or agitated at all.

_Thanks, Edward…this is great! Give me a minute to recover, and then I can go back._ As he looked around and enjoyed the serenity that the space afforded him, he asked if he could come back sometime.

_Anytime, Jasper. Bella and I enjoy the quiet here too._

_Okay, I'm ready_…and I let him out. He was immediately able to calm everyone's lust enough for them to gather up and go.

Alice was glaring at him, her hands on her hips. "I didn't like you being gone like that."

Without warning her, I made the spur of the moment decision to pull Alice in with me. Her eyes were wide as we met in the middle of the flowery space.

She shrugged and said…_Well, it IS pretty here. I can see why Jazz would want to stop in on occasion and Bella practically lives in here with you. It's peaceful and the lack of most emotional and mental chatter would be restful. The couple of minutes that he spent here with you rejuvenated him more than a successful hunt!_

With that Alice walked over and hugged me. _Thank you for being there for him, Edward. You are such a great brother…_

I hugged her back and then shooed her out. "So are you all going to go hunt now?" I asked.

With a round of raucous laughter from Emmett, the house quickly emptied of everyone except Bella and me. She said she'd give me a forty second head start and we could race to her room.

"Forty seconds? You know, when I'm changed and a newborn, I'm going to run circles around you…" _And when I catch you, well, we won't come up for air for three years…_

I took off and ran up the stairs, taking them two at a time. And still she beat me to her bedroom, had her clothes off and was sitting in the middle of her bed, totally naked.

_You're wearing the shorts right now…_she said as she dangled a pair of lime green and pink ones from her fingertips.

And I did so gladly.

**…**

**~~!~!~!~~**

**…**

We had made it six months, then nine and then an entire year without giving into our urge to consummate our relationship. It was a mutual decision to wait until we had graduated from high school for us to do so. For the most part that seemed like a good idea. I'd have my high school diploma and be free to attend any college that I wanted with Bella and the family. We had had a loose plan to marry two weeks after graduation. Alice kept trying to get Bella to put her in charge of those plans.

Then Bella and I would pretend to spend a year backpacking around Europe, enjoying our newly married status.

In reality we were going to be living through my newborn year in the wilds of Alaska. The family had a lodge along the White River in the Wrangell Mountains. There was lots of good hunting and no humans for hundreds of miles. It was the perfect place for me to become accustomed to my new life.

Now we were seniors and our routine of spending every night with each other and sharing classes had been working well for over a year. Most of the time we could hold the mating imperative at bay with nimble fingers and tongues, but for some reason, it had suddenly gotten harder for us to hold back. The status quo changed and suddenly it wasn't enough to just be skin to skin, to be enjoying each other's bodies, taking turns giving and receiving pleasure. We were both about to explode and were on the verge of just giving in to the mating imperative.

Jasper was quick to notice our tension and he told the rest of the family, who kept watchful eyes on us.

We had been caught, more than once, trying to hide out in the janitor's closet at the school, or under the bleachers with the intent to do _more_ than make out. Yes, rather cliché places, but they were handy and we were horny. Alice had seen our plans and sent Jasper to subdue us with lethargy each time. I seriously thought about not letting him take a rest in my meadow the next time he felt the need…he should have to suffer, just like I was.

Emmett tried to work off some of my tension by getting more physical with me. He was constantly challenging me to races, to batting practice, to climb trees. One time he tried to get me to see who could eat the most hot dogs. That was ugly…and it didn't work either.

Carlisle tried to reason with us by pointing out that we had come so far and that the end was in sight. That made sense in my head, but my body wanted to forge ahead.

He then tried guilt and he was good at it. I was the last in my family line and Bella had broached the idea of storing some of my sperm; that maybe at some point in the future we could have a baby through a surrogate. Carlisle pointed out that I hadn't made a _deposit_ yet, and he'd need some time to set up a couple of appropriate storage facilities. That had been on the agenda for a couple of months in the future. Why a couple of places? Well, we wouldn't want all my eggs, er, swimmers, in one basket, so to speak.

Bella and I were so close to giving in, for her to change me and just taking our year…or three…when Esme came to our rescue.

She made us sit down in the living room while she stood before us. She had a binder in her arms. The words, _The List_ by LauraACullen, were on the front.

"I was wandering around the internet and found something that might help you to find new ways to express yourselves, without giving in to the mating imperative. I know that you both want to stick to the plan, but it's getting harder for you to do so." Esme smiled at us both, concern and compassion equally filling her eyes.

"This writer's characters have decided to not have intercourse until they are married. But they still want to be close and they need to find release with their partner. She has compiled quite _The List_ for them to remain chaste, but still be intimate." Esme handed the binder to Bella. "I think that if you two read this, together, you might find some inspiration that will help keep things new and fresh…and relatively chaste. I would suggest a chapter every so often, maybe twice a month? Or as the need arises, it's up to you."

Bella and I both looked at the book in her lap and then up at Esme. Words of thanks were ready to leave my lips when Emmett bounded into the room.

"Dude, Bella's _MOM_ is giving you a sex manual! Righteous!" A ringing slap followed by a prolonged howl trailed Emmett's words. Rosalie wasn't the only one who had perfected the smack down of Emmett over the years.

Esme's eyes were now narrowed as she glared at her cringing son. "What did Rose tell you last year? Do you really think that you should be playing fast and loose with your words when your most precious body parts are on the line?"

Emmett covered his lap with his cupped hands. "I'm sorry, Ma'am." He turned to us and offered us an apology too, remorse sounding through every word.

We accepted his apology and Esme said that if he could contain himself, she'd give Rosalie their copy of _The List_ that she had bound for them too.

Apparently this book was so good that every couple in the family was getting one. Bella and I took our copy to her room…and didn't leave for several hours.

_The List_ got us through the last months of our senior year of high school. Sometimes we read more than one chapter per weekend.

**…**

**~~!~!~!~~**

**…**

From the moment I accepted the fact that Bella was my soul mate, my love, my everything, I knew that I would do whatever it took to be with her always. Humans got a lifetime to share their love. By becoming like her, by becoming a vampire, I'd have _lifetimes_ to devote myself to her.

I knew it was the right decision to wait to change me, at least in the long run. There were times during those two years that we both wanted to toss that decision out the window. Our mantra became: _**Follow the Plan**_. We chanted it a lot, sometimes together and sometimes separately.

_The Plan_ made a lot of sense. It allowed me to grow into my body a bit more, let me finish high school and let me spend time with my family.

Much thought went into that last one. To tell them, or not? That really was the question and hours of discussion went into it. Finally, after making the decision in many different ways, with Alice looking into the future for us, we decided to take the plunge and tell them. My mother and father had come to enjoy time spent with the Cullens. Mom and Esme had so much in common. My dad and Carlisle would get into long discussions about how to save the world. It was great watching them spend time together.

Bella and I both kept tabs on them to see if they had any suspicions about the nature of the Cullens. They tended to overlook a lot of things because they were just so happy for me, and for Bella, too. They loved her like a daughter, or rather, like a daughter-in-law.

Esme planned a fantastic dinner for the great reveal. She fussed all day to make the meal perfect. I think she changed the linens on the table at least three times. I finally just grabbed her and hugged her, pulling her into the meadow with me.

_Esme, my parents already love you all. They appreciate the way you've raised Bella, even if they don't know just how that all came about._ They didn't know yet, but would be filled in with all the facts tonight. _I firmly believe that the most important thing to them is going to be my happiness. They've always said that, and I trust them._

_I know, Edward. And I trust Alice's view of how they will take this. But I want them to be comfortable and I'm worried that they will be hurt or scared. _Her arms were tight around me as we stood and watched the brook babbling along its grassy banks.

_It will be fine…_I assured her.

And it was.

My parents were shocked, but the friendship that they had forged with Carlisle and Esme had been cemented through their mutual love for Bella and me. They had a lot of questions, which were answered to the fullest extent possible.

I had been correct; they just wanted me to be happy. My impending change brought a lot of questions. Our bond was explained, the fact that we were soul mates and what that meant to a vampire. They had already seen the depth of our commitment and weren't all that surprised. I was grateful that they didn't ask too many questions regarding just how close we had already become. We also didn't disclose Bella's mind reading gift and how that would probably come to me full time once I was changed. We wanted them to have the truth, but they didn't need _all_ the details.

Dad and Mom both supported Bella's wish to save some of my seed for possible future use. They had had questions about a baby in the house with vampires, but Carlisle assured them, and me too, that blood lust wouldn't be a problem by the time we came to that decision.

The most important thing that was impressed upon them was the need for secrecy. They were told about the Volturi and the fact that we would all be killed, the Cullens included, if it was known that they knew the secret. Mom and Dad were concerned for me and promised that they would never tell. Being able to still be in my life, after the first year or so, made their promise an easier one to make. Also being able to still be in touch through phone calls and video messaging during that time would help them immensely.

Alice saw that they would keep their promise.

When I told them of my plans to continue my higher education, to become a doctor and that I wanted to go into pediatric medicine, knowing that it might take me several years to reach that level of control. Well, that cinched the deal for them. Bella would be attending school with me, getting her second medical degree.

My mother's comments were along the lines of: _My son, the doctor! My daughter-in-law, the doctor! And a grandchild too? Works for me!_

The evening was deemed a success.

They both thought of questions as time went on, which were answered as they arose. I had questions too, and we all learned together.

A week later, my father called me to his study. My mom was there with him, practically humming with excitement. Earlier in the week we had discussed my decision to become like the Cullens and our future. It had been understood that Bella and I would marry. At least it had been understood between the two of us…and Alice.

"Edward," my dad began. "We got the impression that you hadn't formally asked Bella to be your bride. Is that true?"

"Yes, Dad, we've just known that we would be together as mates, and that we would marry when school was out, before any other changes occur." Mom grimaced the slightest bit when I used the word _changes_.

"Well, Son, we've been holding something for you; a gift from your Grandmother Masen. She died shortly after you were born. She decided when she held you for the first time that you, her only grandson, should have her engagement ring. She told us to tell you that it had brought her great enjoyment and she hoped it would bring your bride the same." My mother stood and stepped close to my Dad, a box held in her outstretched hand.

Incredibly touched, I took the black satin box and opened it. A large round diamond, flanked by two kite shaped diamonds twinkled up at me. It was gorgeous and I could immediately see it on Bella's hand.

"It's set in platinum, but if you don't think that Bella will like it, you could easily sell it and get something that you think that she'd love." My mom had moved to my side and was anxiously awaiting my decision.

"Mom, Dad, she will love this…" Sudden tears filled my eyes and I turned and swept her into a hug, my hand still clutching the little box. I had slipped into my meadow as soon as I realized where this conversation with my folks was going, not wanting Bella to hear. But I could suddenly hear her concern as she struggled to figure out why I was so emotional. I heard the faint echo of her voice; she was on her way to me.

I was so grateful in that moment that I was going to get to have it all. My mate, my family…and a future filled with possibilities.

**…**

**~~!~!~!~~**

**…**

_The Plan_ was a success. We had restrained ourselves for a year and a half, which meant that things would be easier for my family, and for me. My new family told me that the change would "perfect my body" and I wouldn't have to spend the many years of my future looking like a high school student. I was grateful, now, that we had survived the waiting time. There had been a few close calls, but we had made it.

The last couple of months spent waiting for graduation and our wedding was a whirlwind of finals, fittings, and stress. But each evening had found Bella and I tangled together, skin to skin and heart to heart.

Alice's puppy eyes had worn Bella down. She, Esme and my mother put together a wedding that was fancy enough for Alice's sensibilities, but suited Bella and I. We hadn't cared about the ceremony, we were already mated and married in our minds, but we were both anxiously anticipating our wedding night. We had decided that yes, we would finally give in to the mating imperative with me as a human.

My parents were both thrilled with my happiness and worried about my change. I had spent a lot of time with them in the weeks before the wedding. They had already put all of the family videos that they had on discs, and made copies of all the photo albums. I had been told that it was hard to keep human memories after the change, and we hoped that these reminders would jog my memory. Emmett, in particular, was looking forward to watching the home movies the first weeks after my change. My Mom had mentioned a video of me on a bearskin rug, while being bare. He thought that would be "cute".

We planned to leave immediately after the reception to head to Alaska. Rosalie and Emmett would accompany us, with Rose flying the little Lear Jet that the family owned, to the lodge on the White River in Alaska. They'd drop us off and return with the family a week later…and I would be changed.

Our wedding ceremony was held in the Cullens' backyard with just our close friends and family in attendance. Ben and Emmett stood up with me, while Alice and Angela stood for Bella. Angela's dad, Pastor Webber officiated. Sandi had flown in for the service and she read one of the scriptures for us.

Our mothers held each other and cried happy tears. Well, my mother cried enough tears for both of them.

We finally tore ourselves away from the reception. It was hard to say goodbye to everyone. Esme and Carlisle were beside my parents, assuring them that everything would be fine. With one last kiss and amidst a shower of birdseed, we were away.

Emmett and Rose stayed in the cockpit for the flight out of Seattle. He told us to not get carried away because he didn't want to interrupt any mating stuff going on. Bella looked at him, her brow arched, and started counting down the myriad times that she, and we, had caught he and Rosalie in flagrante delicto!

When he went back into the cockpit mumbling about long vampire memories, we laughed. Starting our mating years on the jet to our honeymoon destination was not in _The Plan_. We did spend the time cuddling and reliving the memories from the day…and our lives since we met.

It would be soon enough to give into the mating imperative when we were alone, in the Alaskan Wilderness.

**…**

**~~!~!~!~~**

**…**

A very long lasting bolt of lightning split the air near us. I counted the seconds until the clap of thunder rattled the bones in my ears. The leading edge of the storm was nearly upon us. I moved out of my meadow and found that I could only hear the distant echo of our family's voices. We were alone and my skin was charged from the tempest approaching us. I could literally see the sparks as the electricity jumped from my skin to the woman who was nestled in my lap. If her long hair hadn't been in a tight braid, it would have been lifting in the static filled air.

…_I was just thinking about your first weeks as a newborn. It was a good thing we were so deep in the wilderness._ She chuckled quietly. _The first time you caught scent of a human, from that camp seven miles over in the next valley, if Emmett and Jasper hadn't been hunting in that direction, Alice and I would never have caught you!_

She turned in my arms to smile up at me._ It wouldn't have been quite so bad if you hadn't been so fast. Even now, I've never known anyone as fast as you. In fact, I think that you are even faster now than when you were a newborn._

Bella's movements in my lap were taking my mind from the trials of my first year and making me focus on the here and now. And the fact that only recently had the need to be intimate leveled off to something less than every couple of hours.

I shuddered at some of those early memories_. _Seeing the vision in Alice's mind of what could have happened at that hunting camp had scared me enough to submit when Emmett had crashed into me, knocking me to the ground. I think that made my learning curve rather fast. I never wanted to see that vision come to fruition.

Carlisle had brought blood samples with him each time he came out to the lodge. I'd practice keeping control around them. I had never messed up, partially because of the desensitizing that Carlisle helped me with, and partially because of the vividness of that vision from Alice. She ran it past me on occasion even now.

After several months we had made a run to just east of Wrangell. We spent a couple of days there, testing my control against the scent of humans. I eventually found my center of control and could walk the streets there, brushing up against people as we made our way from one end of the main street to the other. I certainly didn't want to be around anyone that was actively bleeding, but I could handle the bloodlust otherwise. Since then I had honed my control so that I felt confident enough to start my medical studies. It had been hard, but so worth it.

Having my meadow space to retreat to was such a blessing. I don't know how Bella stayed sane with all the voices in her head before she could retreat with me. The voices of everyone when we were close to people kept me distracted from the call of their blood. The meadow was a respite from that.

Nine months after my change, Mom and Dad had sent along some of their clothing and some blood samples with Carlisle and Esme when they visited. After I had a week to immerse myself in their scents, Rosalie and Emmett had flown them in to visit us.

My eyes were almost gold by then. I did hear my mother missing my green eyes, but she had hope that there would be a green-eyed child in our future.

We were actually thinking that we could plan for that baby in about five years. Bella and I were starting at Dartmouth College, pre-med, in a week. The rest of the family would attend as well. Rosalie wanted to take more engineering classes. She had some ideas for a _greener_ engine that she wanted to explore.

This dinner and a show…with dessert, was rather like a last hurrah before we all headed off to Hanover. Esme already had our house ready there and my parents had their tickets purchased to come for a visit.

While the noise still rumbled across the mountains from that last clap of thunder, I leapt to my feet, nestling Bella against my chest. I had prepared a surprise to make the evening special for my wife.

_Come on, I have something to show you…_I felt her curiosity as she tried to find the surprise in my mind. _Uh uh…no fair cheating. Do you want to me to escape to the meadow without you?_

She gave in gracefully and tucked herself closer to my chest as I ran. _I trust you…I won't pry…_

I ran down the backside of the mountain, stopping near a tall, sturdy tree. Bella's eyes whipped open when she caught the scent of a mountain lion. I let her slide down my body, enjoying the feel of her trim figure against mine as she settled on her feet.

She looked up at me…_What's going on?_

_Well, this is the dinner part of our evening. Emmett did a park survey and found this guy for us; since he knows that mountain lion is our favorite. He and Rose are hunting a bear right now. The storm is the show…and I have something special planned for dessert…_I motioned towards the tree, encouraging her to take the lead. She had already spotted the cat about halfway up the tree. A grin filled her face as she crouched. With a surge of power she was on the limb and the cat turned with a snarl. Another push from her thighs and they fell to the ground in a tangle of arms, legs and snarls.

Just like when I would share these moments with her through our bond when I was human, I was overcome with awe over her strength as she took him down. The sight of her besting the predator also filled me with lust. There was just something so very sexy about my Bella when she hunted. I loved watching her body move; she was supple, elegant…and deadly.

Bella quickly bit into the jugular of the wildly fighting cat and took several deep swallows as his movement stilled. She raised her head, her golden eyes nearly glowing, and called me forward. Together we drained the beast, our eyes locked on each other. We had fed on deer the day before, so didn't need to hunt further. Another crack of thunder rolled over us as we hid the carcass beneath a boulder.

The electricity surrounding us made my hair stand on end and my skin thrum with power.

Bella looked at me and crouched again, a feral gleam in her eyes. I could see her plan in my mind; she was going to take me right here, against a tree. That could be fun, but I had another plan in place.

I held my hands up. _Wait, my Lady…the rain is coming and I have another surprise for you…_ Her mind was confused as I reached a hand out to her. _Come, love…_

She slowly rose from her crouch and took my hand. Turning, I led her at a run further down the mountain towards a small clearing in the valley. Her gasp was loud when she spotted the structure there.

_We're here…_I said as we stood before an eight-man dome tent that I had secured in the field. I had draped the inside of the tent with battery powered twinkle lights. It literally glowed with golden light as we stood before it.

The doors were tied open and we could see the mound of pillows and blankets that I had laid there earlier in the day.

_Now it's time for dessert…if you'd care to join me…_I smiled down into her lovely face. Bella quickly took my hand and tugged me inside. She toed her shoes and socks off, digging her toes into the soft rug I had placed on the floor of the tent. I untied the doors and zipped them shut. I slipped my shoes off as well. The first drops of rain hit the tight skin of the tent.

_Will we stay dry in here?_ Her fingers were already opening my shirt and she was pressing hot kisses to the skin that she exposed, I growled when she scraped her teeth across my nipple…_Not that it matters, I need you now…_

_Yes, this tent is the top of the line. It should withstand the wind and the rain …_My fingers were lifting her shirt up and over her head, dropping it on top of mine where it lay in a heap on the floor. A midnight blue bra quickly landed there too. Keeping my touch light, I cupped her perky mounds and ran my thumbs across the tips. Her growl answered mine and I could already smell her arousal, sweet and heady as a fine wine.

I wrapped my arms around her, hoisting her up high against my body. I began kissing her sweet lips, sucking the lower one into my mouth. She wrapped her legs around my hips and pressed her breasts into my chest. Cupping her shoulder blades in my hands caused her to growl again.

_I love it when you do that; I've loved it from the very first time..._ Her hands were woven into my hair and she pulled gently as she tilted my head up to kiss along my jaw line and down to my throat. She paid particular attention to the small scar that she had created when she changed me four years ago, following the slightly raised edges of it with her tongue and then sucking gently.

_And I love it when you do that…_Turning my back to the pile of pillows; I fell back onto them, holding her firmly to me. She raised her head and laughed, the sound sent shivers of delight through me. Her laughter stilled as I thrust my hips up and against her body.

_Some of us have too many clothes on…_Bella said as she moved to rise, but my hands on her hips stopped her. She collapsed back down onto my chest and the feeling of her pebbled nipples against my upper body caused my groin to tighten even further.

_For nearly two years it was enough…_I thrust against her again, smiling as I hooked my fingers into the waistband of her jeans. With a deft twist I ripped them from her body and tossed them aside. Her growl filled the tent, nearly overwhelming the sound of the now pounding rain.

I moved my hands to her back, gently massaging the smooth flesh across her shoulders, down over her hips and then grasping her rounded buttocks and pulling her body firmly against my erection.

_It's not nearly enough now…_she was out of my hands and kneeling beside me in a blink of my eyes and my jeans were in shreds too. _I sure hope you brought us more clothes…or we're going to be very sparkly in the light of day tomorrow…_

I glanced over at a bag near the door of the tent._ Of course, My Lady…Alice handed it to me when I came up here to get things ready. I would have thought of it…but probably not until tomorrow. _

Her laughter rang out once again. Lightning flashed in the distance, but close enough to illuminate my body, her laughter trailed off as she took in the state of my arousal.

A look crossed her face as her eyes darkened, the same look she wore while hunting. I leaned back into the pillows to enjoy what was to come as her growl warned me a second before she pounced. Her thighs straddled my own, the heat from her center pressed firmly against me. She twined her fingers into mine and pulled them up over my head. Our lips pressed tightly to each others' and I sighed as she slipped her tongue deeply into my mouth. Kissing each other freely had been one of many things I appreciated about being changed. As her tongue tickled the roof of my mouth, my hips jerked upwards in response.

Rolling her over and pressing her into the cushions I nipped at her earlobe, then suckled the spot just below it. Her hips were pressing into mine as her legs came up to hold me firmly between her thighs. Both of us had our hands stretched up over her head, our fingers still tightly entwined. Slowly we began rocking against each other, just enjoying the feel of skin against skin. We weren't in a hurry, the night was long and the storm hadn't reached its peak yet.

After several minutes Bella flipped us over, and lifting her hips, slipped me into her wet folds. A long sigh left us both at the intimacy of the moment. That first moment of connection always made me feel like I had come home.

I knew that our bodies were the temperature of the cool ambient air around us, but the heat generated by our connection made me feel like she had encased me in velvet fire. Blue sparks of static, jumping between our bodies, sent our senses reeling. Holding her hips, I started to move, to thrust up into her, but she placed her small hand in the middle of my chest, stilling me.

Keeping her eyes on mine, she loosened the band holding her long braid in place. I watched as she slowly ran her fingers through the tightly woven strands, freeing them and then shaking her head, fluffing the long tresses out. I was right; the electricity surrounding us made her hair appear almost alive as it flew around her shoulders. The twinkle lights hanging around the tent picked out gold and red in the waves of her hair. She was so beautiful, she took my breath away.

A flash of lighting lit the interior of the tent. It highlighted her soft curves and threw portions of her body into deep shadow. She looked like the finest porcelain, painted with a master's touch. I ran my hands from her knees, up her hips, pausing at her breasts and feeling their weight. She leaned into my hands and rocked her hips gently against me.

I lifted a hand to the silky strands of her hair, twisting it around my fist and pulling her down towards me so that I could kiss her again. I was mesmerized, lying in the curtain of her hair, feeling her teeth nipping at my upper lip. We heard the tempest outside increase in fury as it whipped around the tent, the energy surrounding us drove our passion and she began to stroke along my length, faster and harder.

Another burst of lightning lit the tent, immediately followed by a clap of thunder that shook the very ground that our tent was tethered to. The charge from the lightning suddenly engulfed us and our loving turned wild in a rush. It was as if the elements were driving us on, pushing us towards our release.

We both needed more and I flipped our positions, she was now below me, her eyes dark with lust and love, her hair splayed out upon the pillows. She looked like a siren, calling me closer as her tongue came out and licked her lower lip.

_You need to share that…_I held her face in my hands and sucked the tip of her tongue into my mouth. She slipped it in and out of my mouth in rhythm with our bodies' movements. All of my weight rested against her as our hips continued to thrust against each other.

Another bolt of lightning flashed near our tent; we heard the cracking as the tree it hit split asunder and the thunder crashed around us like an entire percussion section of an orchestra. Bella wrapped her legs around my hips, tilting her pelvis up…we both groaned at the sensation of deeper penetration.

The storm was reaching its crescendo and we kept pace with it. Through our connection I felt Bella's control start to slip as she gave in to the coil that was building in her center. She grasped my shoulders, pulling me closer to her. Just as I felt her come apart, she gasped my name and I fell with her, tumbling into the maelstrom of sensations, a combination of our love, the elements and feeling each other shatter.

I continued to rock gently into her body as we slowly came down from our Rocky Mountain High…she chuckled at my thoughts and started to hum the melody to the song.

_That was amazing…_I kissed her gently as I rolled to my side, keeping her close, our bodies still connected. _A truly magnificent goodbye to our life here…_

_Oh, I don't think so…_Bella was nibbling my earlobe.

_What? You don't think it was good enough?_ I was feeling a little confounded. I knew that she had felt pretty good just moments ago; I had heard it in her mind and felt it through her body.

_Well, it was a _good start_ to our goodbye to Colorado…there's still hours until the sun rises and still some storm left to inspire us…_

What a vixen my wife was, and she was right. There was still time to enjoy this night. Our new life as medical students would begin in a few days, but now was our time. Our time to immerse ourselves in one another, a time to connect and to just feel.

Tomorrow would come soon enough.

**…The End…**

* * *

A/N… Again, this should have been out long before this, but I've been fighting some health issues again, meds not agreeing with me and other stuff (Teen Angst)…so, I apologize for the delay. Bugged me no end…

THE LIST, by LauraACullen, http: /www. fanfiction. net/s/4934524/1/ The_List. Just take the spaces out and copy/paste into your browser to find this story. Thank you **LauraACullen** for letting me use your fic in my fic!

Once again, I also thank **LJ Summers**…her words, "**mating imperative,**" motivated me so much throughout this story. You really should go check out her work. http: /www. fanfiction. net/u/1965916/

There's a link on my profile page of the ring that Grandmother Masen passed on to Edward. I think it was about $25,000…I decided against the $39,500 one…

Wow, **THE END**…I actually typed those words! LJ didn't think that I could do it…LOL…

BUT, I have an idea for an outtake that I want to write…something about the meadow that I just couldn't fit in here. The Volturi might make an appearance there. Putting me on **AUTHOR ALERT** will let you know when I write and post that. Also, Kris was disappointed that we didn't see the proposal and how Bella liked Grandma Masen's ring...I might have to add that as an outtake too...I'm sort of seeing that come together now that she mentioned it to me.

So, even though it is **THE END**, I do have a little wiggle room. LJ told me I couldn't just walk away…LOL…how well she knows me.

Also, a couple of other GREAT AUTHORS are writing side shots for us…I'll post in this fic, as separate chapters, with the links to their stories when they happen.

Thank you to every one of you who have reviewed, alerted and favorited this story. I was tickled that so many of you liked this little angst-free, love-filled fic…THANK YOU ALL!

Now, I'm back to writing Dragon Stones…and Jasper's epilogue for GUARDING EDWARD. He's promised to sit with me in his blue riding leathers…

Kathie


	10. Alice Side Shot

**AMayes**, an amazing writer and my first friend on ffn, has written a side-shot for **IMMERSION**.

Title: **Settling the Score  
**  
POV: Alice

Words: 4,402  
Genre(s): Humor/General  
Rating: Rated: T

Summary: A side-shot for katmom's IMMERSION. Tired of Lauren and Jessica's  
attempts to get Edward's attention, Alice comes up with a plan to put an end  
to it for good.

You can find the story here, by taking out the spaces:

http: //www. fanfiction. net/s/5598383/1/

**Please leave her a review for all of her hard work!**

* * *

**Here's a preview:**

"What is that?" Bella had asked, her tone wary.

"Your Halloween costume of course!" I'd said, picking the rug up and holding it out. "For both you and Edward. And no, I didn't kill a bear. I got it at a second-hand shop. Perfect, right?"

For a long moment neither of them said a word, instead staring at the shaggy mat I was proudly grasping.

"It looks...nice," Edward had volunteered. "But how do we...wear it?"

* * *

When you are done reading this side-shot…do check out her stories…she's really good!

http: //www. fanfiction. net/u/1569708/AMayes


End file.
